Crimea

Brent crude oil was set to end its fourth consecutive week on a loss as a strong dollar and weak demand pressured prices. The commodity traded at $106.24 at 5:55 GMT on Friday morning. With severe winter weather coming to a close, a seasonal demand slump has weighed on crude prices and driven US...

The US expanded the list of wealthy Russians being targeted by economic sanctions in order to put more pressure on Moscow to heed international calls for diplomacy in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been unresponsive and went ahead with the procedure to annex Crimea this week....

U.S. stocks recovered most of Wednesday's losses after Fed Chief Janet Yellen spooked the markets a bit by hinting a rate hike could occur as soon as six months after the central bank terminates its quantitative-easing program. Investors found positives in several economic reports released...

Brent crude oil prices picked up on Thursday after the US Federal Reserve was more positive than expected about the nation’s economic strength. The commodity traded at $106.03 at 6:21 GMT on Thursday morning. CNBC reported that Fed Chair Janet Yellen closed her first meeting as head of the US...

The euro lost a full cent overnight after the US Federal Reserve meeting ended with investors worried that the bank would raise its key interest rate sooner than expected. The common currency traded at $1.3836 at 6:00 GMT on Thursday morning. Reuters reported that US stocks and bonds slid while...

US bond yields soared and the dollar strengthened after the US Federal Reserve announced that it could begin to increase its key interest rate sooner than expected. Fed Chair Janet Yellen wrapped up her first meeting as head of the bank by saying the bank plans to finish tapering its asset...

The Fed announced that it will increase its tapering by a further $10 billion in addition to dropping the 6.5 percent unemployment rate threshold which has been the target rate to hike the Fund Funds rate. Thirteen of 16 Fed officials expect the Fed Funds rate to rise by the end of 2015. The...

For the past week or so, the market has been focused on Crimea -- and what could happen if the geopolitical tensions there continued to mount. Would the referendum take place? Would Russia decide to expand into eastern Ukraine? Would the West do anything besides raise a stink? Was there really...

U.S. stocks extended Monday's gains despite lingering concerns over Crimea. Russian President Vladimir Putin has authorized a draft treaty for Crimea to join Russia. U.S. economic data showed that housing starts in February remain healthy with modest gains. The Dow gained 0.55 percent,...

Here's a look at the top tickers trending on StockTwits.com. S&P 500 futures: What's in store for today? Stock index futures were bouncing around from slightly negative to marginally positive territory prior to the opening bell. Investors have a lot on their plate including an FOMC meeting...

Bargain hunters took Brent crude oil prices higher over night after the commodity lost almost $2 on Monday. Brent traded at $106.65 at 7:25 GMT on Tuesday as investors turned their attention from the problems in Ukraine to the global demand outlook. After Crimean citizens voted to succeed from...

Fears of military action in Ukraine subsided for the time being and gave markets some breathing room to focus on economic data after the result of Crimea’s weekend vote to succeed from Ukraine and join Russia created uncertainty around the globe. Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to have...

Overseas financial markets opened strongly on Monday morning as news of the weekend referendum in Crimea to formally join Russia was passed with an overwhelming majority vote.  The Crimean peninsula is seen as a key strategic asset for Russia in both their military and economic endeavors which...

The next several weeks could be a critical and historic time for U.S. and European economic ties with Russia, as linked to the ongoing crisis in Crimea and Ukraine. On Monday,The White House outlined its first sanctions against Moscow, following Russia's de facto occupation of Crimea and Sunday...

It is clear that the focus of the stock market remains squarely on the geopolitical situation in Ukraine/Crimea/Russia (NYSE: RSX). What is not quite so clear is why this actually matters to traders. Before we go any further on this topic, let me first state that this missive is not a...