US consumer confidence fell for the second straight month in February, a survey said Tuesday, as Americans’ feelings about the economy’s present and future health cooled.

If Russia further invades Ukraine, the Biden administration could deprive it of a vast swath of low- and high-tech US and foreign-made goods, from commercial electronics and computers to semiconductors and aircraft parts, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) office said on Tuesday it opposed Canada’s plan to enact a digital services tax (DST) and urged Canada to abandon plans for such a step.

Germany’s cabinet on Wednesday approved an increase in the minimum wage to 12 euros ($13.60) per hour, a flagship election campaign promise of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats.

US home prices in 2021 saw their biggest increase in at least 34 years, according to data released Tuesday, as buyers spent the year snapping up homes and builders struggled to keep up.

Oil prices surged close to $100 per barrel Tuesday as major crude producer Russia prepared to send troops into two breakaway regions of Ukraine, sparking Western nations to ready economic sanctions against Moscow.

Stock markets tumbled on Tuesday while bonds and commodities rallied after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into the breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine.

President Joe Biden’s administration has prepared an initial package of sanctions against Russia that includes barring U.S. financial institutions from processing transactions for major Russian banks, three people familiar with the matter said.

Oil prices rose slightly on Monday as fresh diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ukraine crisis provided some relief from supply concerns that have kept oil prices near $100 a barrel.

At Beijing Winter Games venues, China’s digital currency has been designated as an official payment method.

Thailand’s economy rebounded in the fourth quarter of last year on the back of rising exports and the easing of coronavirus restrictions that allowed tourists to return, senior officials said Monday.

Japan will in principle take concerted action with the Group of Seven nations in imposing economic sanctions on Russia if that nation invades Ukraine, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

The euro zone economic recovery regained momentum this month as an easing of coronavirus restrictions gave a boost to the bloc’s dominant service industry, a survey showed, but consumers faced prices rising at a record rate.

The pandemic and soaring inflation have done nothing to take the shine off luxury brands, from Louis Vuitton to Gucci and Cartier, as the sector hiked prices to notch up stellar profits.

Nickel surged Monday to the highest price in more than 10 years, driven by simmering Ukraine-Russia tensions and tight supplies.

China has placed Lockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon Technologies Corp under sanctions over arms sales to Taiwan, the government said on Monday, at least the third time it has announced punishments against the US companies.

The Russian finance ministry said Monday it had submitted draft legislation regulating cryptocurrencies, including client identification and a cap on investments.

There is a silver lining to Turkey’s currency crisis and the global supply chain crunch: The country is becoming an attractive alternative at the gates of Europe for foreign firms.

Kuwait Airways announced Monday an expanded $6 billion deal with Airbus for 31 planes, restructuring an agreement reached in 2014. q

The Bundesbank said on Monday the latest wave of the coronavirus pandemic risked pushing the German economy -- Europe’s largest -- into a technical recession before staging a recovery from the second quarter.