In early trading Thursday, markets fell and the prices of oil, gold and government bonds rose, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including airstrikes on the capital, Kyiv, the Wall Street Journal reported. As of about 10 a.m., the Dow Jones Industrial Average had fallen by about 800 points, or 2.4 percent. In addition, the S&P 500 had dropped by 2 percent and the Nasdaq Composite had fallen by 1.9 percent.  

The Journal also reported that the MOEX benchmark for Russian stocks fell by 35 percent, putting it on course for its biggest drop on record. The pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 fell by 3.5 percent, and Asian stock indexes also fell sharply.  

Ukraine’s foreign-exchange market suspended its operations under martial law measures, according to a statement from its central bank. The country’s stock exchange also said it was postponing activity. 

In contrast, the prices of oil, natural gas, gold, some natural resources, and U.S. Treasury bonds all rose. Brent crude oil, the global benchmark, topped $100 a barrel for the first time since 2014, with the front-month contract rising by 6.7 percent to $100.31. Prices for its U.S. equivalent, West Texas Intermediate, also jumped. 

Natural-gas futures in Europe skyrocketed by 40 percent, and benchmark prices for aluminum and nickel, two metals of which Russia is a major producer, rose to their highest levels in about a decade. Wheat and corn futures advanced to multiyear highs, since both Russia and Ukraine are major grain producers. 

Gold and U.S. Treasury bonds, both of which generally rally in times of stress, rose in price. The most actively traded gold futures contract rose by 1.7 percent  to about $1,942.40 a troy ounce, the highest level in over a year. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note declined to 1.903 percent from 1.976 percent on Wednesday. Bond yields fall as prices rise. European government bonds also rallied, with the equivalent German bund yield falling as low as 0.111 percent.     

The dollar and the yen strengthened, while the value of cryptocurrencies declined, with bitcoin falling by 5.2 percent to about $35,620.  

The Russian ruble weakened to a record low, declining as much as 9 percent against the dollar and trading at 90 rubles to $1, before recovering moderately. The Russian central bank said it would intervene in the foreign-exchange market and banned short selling.