Stocks Slide as Havens Sought on Crimea; Oil, Gold Climb

Stocks slid, with an index of global equities tumbling the most in a month, while the ruble weakened to an all-time low as Russia’s growing military presence in Ukraine prompted an emerging-market selloff. The yen, U.S. Treasuries and gold rose as investors sought havens.

The MSCI All-Country World Index fell 1.2 percent by 4:44 p.m. in New York. Russian stocks slumped the most in five years and Ukrainian debt dropped the most on record as the ruble retreated more than 1 percent versus its dollar-euro basket. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index lost 0.7 percent as the VIX volatility gauge jumped. Gold rose 2.2 percent as Brent crude gained as much as 3 percent, while wheat climbed the most since 2012. Ten-year Treasury yields declined to a one-month low.