European leaders are playing down Putin's announcement, calling it "desperation" or a signal that Russia's plans against Ukraine have been "unsuccessful". I wouldn't point that as being a key reason for market sentiment turning around but some words of comfort and reassurance can never hurt. In any case, equities are seeing a decent turnaround now with European indices pulling higher alongside US futures on the day.
- Eurostoxx +0.3%
- DAX flat
- CAC 40 +0.2%
- UK FTSE +0.6%
- S&P 500 futures +0.3%
- Nasdaq futures +0.2%
- Dow futures +0.3%
