Nuclear fear: falling stock markets

Tuesday turned out to be difficult for global stock markets, which plunged into the red zone due to the aggravation of the geopolitical situation. 

Investors, fearing an escalation of the conflict between Russia and the United States, two nuclear superpowers, began to actively switch to safer assets. Gold futures rose by more than 1%, and the Japanese yen strengthened against the US dollar.

The European stock index STOXX 600 lost almost 1%, falling to its lowest level since August. A similar situation was observed in the American markets, where futures for major indices are showing a decline.

The reason for the panic was the changes in the Russian nuclear doctrine announced by President Vladimir Putin. According to the updated code, Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons in case of aggression against itself or Belarus, if this aggression poses a threat to sovereignty or territorial integrity.

This news appeared against the background of the US permission for Kiev to use American long-range missiles in Russia. It is unclear whether other NATO countries will follow Washington's example.