Asian shares, US futures fall as Ukraine conflict deepens

By YURI KAGEYAMA
AP Business Writer

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares have fallen after Western nations moved to tighten sanctions against Russia and President Vladimir Putin escalated tensions by ordering Russian nuclear forces be put on high alert. U.S. futures fell, with the contract for the S&P 500 down 2.5% early Monday. Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai declined while Sydney was higher. Russian’s invasion of Ukraine has caused markets to swing wildly, given the potential impact on inflation, energy supplies and other repercussions. The Russian ruble has weakened sharply but was steady early Monday at 83.86 to the dollar. Japan joined moves by the U.S. and other western nations to impose sanctions against Russia, including blocking some Russian banks from the SWIFT global payment system.