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US stock markets fall on Russia-Ukraine tensions, Home Depot slides

US stock markets all traded more than 1% lower on Tuesday, reopening after President’s Day on Monday.

Most benchmarks reversed losses of as much as 2% after the entry of Russian troops into ‘separatist’ parts of Ukraine scared investors.

As much as this is likely to be a localised issue, the threat of sanctions could harm the economy given Russia produces around 20% of the world’s oil.

At this stage, no financial sanctions have been imposed but Germany has paused their massive Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline with Russia.

Home Depot the real detractor

The Dow Jones was down 1.4%, the S&P 500 dropped 1.0% and the Nasdaq fell 1.2%, but interestingly it was Home Depot’s (NYSE: HD) report driving the former.

The Home Depot share price fell by close to 9%, contributing to more than 30% of the Dow’s fall, despite beating earnings estimates and hiking its dividend by 15%. Investors are clearly concerned about the weakening margins and higher costs.

US stock market movers

Here’s how other popular US stocks performed on Tuesday.

Back home on the ASX, the S&P/ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) is tipped to edge lower when the market opens this morning. For a round-up of the latest news, check out my ASX 200 morning report.

The Golden Rules of Investing

We might be experts in retirement, but with combined financial advice experience of 35+ years, we’ve nearly seen it all. 

In mid-2023, our senior team at Wattle Partners Financial Planning put the finishing touches on a brand-new report “The Golden Rules of Investing“.

In this free report, we outline the key principles that determine all of the portfolio construction and investment decisions of Wattle Partners. Collated over decades, this paper should be seen as a work-in-progress, constantly under review in light of the ever-evolving nature of markets. 

You’ll find the free report on my Author page. Simply click the button below to view the Golden Rules.

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At the time of publishing, the author of this article does not have a financial or commercial interest in any of the companies mentioned.

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Wattle Partners is a financial advice firm, servicing clients around Australia, specialising in retirement planning (pre and post retirement). 

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