S&P 500 claws back from 2.6% loss to trade positive as investors assess Russia-Ukraine crisis

The major averages experienced volatile trading on Thursday as Russia attacked Ukraine, causing global energy prices to jump and sending investors fleeing for the safety of fixed income assets.

The invasion comes as global equity markets were already reeling because of decades-high inflation stemming from the pandemic.

The S&P 500 traded 0.3% higher, after dropping more than 2.6% earlier in the session. The benchmark remains in correction territory more than 10% off its Jan. 3 record close. The 30-stock Dow fell about 250 points. The blue-chip measure is more than 10% off its record. The Nasdaq Composite was up 1.8% after opening in bear market territory, down more than 20% from its record high in November. The Nasdaq has since traded out of that range.

As of Thursday afternoon, stocks were well off their lows of the day. The Dow was down more than 800 points earlier in the session. The Nasdaq was down nearly 3.5% at one point.

President Joe Biden addressed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, announcing that the U.S. will introduce a new wave of sanctions against Russia in a broad effort to isolate Moscow from the global economy. The White House has also authorized additional troops to be stationed in Germany as NATO allies look to bolster defenses in Europe, Biden said.

“Today I’m authorizing additional strong sanctions, and new limitations on what can be exported to Russia,” Biden said. “This is going to impose a severe cost on the Russian economy both immediately and over time.”

Investors appeared to be buying the dip on some of the biggest tech names. Amazon, Netflix, Alphabet and Microsoft all traded higher — erasing sharp declines from earlier in the day. Netflix rose nearly 5% and Microsoft added 3%. Alphabet and Meta rose 2.5% each.

Moscow launched the military action in Ukraine overnight Thursday. There were reports of explosions and missile strikes on several key Ukrainian cities including its capital, Kyiv. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the invasion “the demilitarization” of Ukraine and said Russia’s plans do not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories.

NATO, the most powerful military alliance in the world, is set to reinforce its presence on its eastern front following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Investors can follow along CNBC’s live blog tracking Thursday’s developments in Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

The Russia invasion “is really worse than a baseline expectation that we had or the markets had. I would argue we are talking basically another 5% to 6% down which would put us close to 20% or bear market territory,” said Binky Chadha, chief U.S. equity and global strategist at Deutsche Bank,” on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Thursday.

Oil prices also moved off their highs as the trading day progressed. Global oil benchmark Brent jumped 1% to around $92 per barrel, after the $100 level for the first time since 2014. The U.S. oil benchmark, WTI, traded about 1% higher around $92 per barrel after hitting just shy of $100 per barrel earlier in the session. Natural gas prices surged 2.9%.

Treasury prices increased and yields tumbled, with the benchmark 10-year note rate declining to 1.86% as investors sought safe-haven bonds. The move reversed a ramp in yields that took the 10-year well above 2% earlier in the session. Gold futures increased 1.5% to $1,939.80 an ounce as investors sought other safe havens. The Cboe Volatility index, a gauge of Wall Street fear, spiked to above the 37 level on Thursday, near hits highest levels of the year.

European stocks sold off sharply on Thursday after Russia began an attack on Ukraine, tipping a longstanding diplomatic crisis into a military conflict. The pan-European Stoxx 600 dropped more than 3% to its lowest point of the year.

The VanEck Russia ETF, a U.S.-traded security which invests in top Russian companies, dropped nearly 16% on Thursday.

“The worst-case scenario of Russia invading Ukraine beyond the separatist regions is a shock to the equity and oil markets. The fallout could have sizeable negative impact on the European economy which would then dampen US activity modestly,” said Kathy Bostjancic, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics. “In the face of such uncertainty and negative economic fallout, the Fed is likely to raise the policy rate just 25bps in March, but it will still move forward.”

Banks were hit the hardest on Thursday. Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase lost more than 4.5% each. Boeing lost 3%. United Airlines was down more than 5%.

Among the stocks in the green were energy and defense stocks. Exxon Mobil was slightly higher. Enphase Energy rose more than 6%. Lockheed Martin gained 1.5% and Raytheon Technologies was marginally higher.

Bitcoin was getting hammered, most recently down 6.5% to $35,207.50 as investors shed risk.

“Investors should expect strong sanctions imposed on Russia, which will slow growth and leave upward pressure on commodity prices,” wrote Dennis DeBusschere of 22V Research. “How long this crisis takes to unfold will determine how much inflation, financial conditions, and growth will be impacted. Short-term, a flight to safety means Treasury yields, rate hike expectations and risk assets are sharply lower.”

The Ukraine situation has added to tensions for the market, which had been worried about tighter Federal Reserve policy amid escalating inflation. Traders have adjusted their views on the Fed in recent days, with the likelihood of a 0.5 percentage point interest rate hike in March down to 17%, according to CME Group data.

— CNBC’s Christine Wang contributed to this report.