INSTANT VIEW-Russian forces invade Ukraine after Putin orders attack

I haven't seen any panic-selling but clients with buy orders on have reduced them a bit." KAREN JORRITSMA, HEAD OF EQUITIES, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS, SYDNEY "Markets started to sell off hard and we saw gold hit the highest level in a year and oil pushed to $100 so it was a typical war trade reaction... "Equities reaction today is the combination of the U.S. on Wednesday night being really scrappy and the news today.

Russian forces fired missiles at several Ukrainian cities and landed troops on its south coast on Thursday, officials and media said, after President Vladimir Putin authorised what he called a special military operation in the east. Shortly after Putin spoke in a televised address on Russian state TV, explosions could be heard in the pre-dawn quiet of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Gunfire rattled near the capital's main airport, the Interfax news agency said.

U.S. SENATOR MARK WARNER, CHAIRMAN OF SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE, WASHINGTON "For more than 70 years, we have avoided large-scale war in Europe. With his illegal invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has tragically brought decades of general peace to an end. Now the U.S. and our NATO allies must stand united and resolute against Putin's efforts to renew the Russian empire at the expense of the Ukrainian people."

GEORGE KANAAN, HEAD OF CASH EQUITIES, BARRENJOEY CAPITAL, SYDNEY "The market has been looking for an excuse to sell off and now they have a real one... With so many exchange-traded funds and automation, they flick the switch when there is uncertainty like this and buyers go on strike.

"That is why we are seeing the market gap like it is. There is brinkmanship happening and who knows where it can go from here." CARLOS CASANOVA, SENIOR ECONOMIST APAC, UBP, HONG KONG

"Markets will go risk off so you'll see a selloff in risk assets and, in Asia, that means emerging-market equities and high yield bonds... "Escalation of tensions in Ukraine will exert upward pressure on global inflation through higher energy prices - Russia is a major energy exporter - but also food prices, so we expect to see higher core inflation that will last longer.

"The Fed seems pretty relentless in its attempt to use demand side factors to control inflationary pressures so markets are reacting to that prospect of even more higher rate hikes." MATT SIMPSON, SENIOR MARKET ANALYST, CITY INDEX, SYDNEY

"It's not very often that we get this level of volatility (in Asia), and the traders in Europe are yet to react, so we're going to see a follow through from the European open when that comes on through. I would expect there to be further selling pressures on those equity markets. Oil's not moving as much as you'd think... I think gold is the new oil in this one, it's the most exciting move of the day." CHRIS WESTON, HEAD OF RESEARCH, PEPPERSTONE, MELBOURNE

"It looks pretty clear that they are moving toward Kyiv, which was always one of the worst case scenarios, because we now have a long night ahead of us trying to understand how bad this gets, and what sanctions get put up... "There are no buyers here for risk, and there are a lot of sellers out there, so this market is getting hit very hard."

JAMES ROSENBERG, FINANCIAL ADVISOR, EL&C BAILLIEU, SYDNEY "Military action in Eastern Europe has unsettled investors but the volumes haven't increased dramatically. I haven't seen any panic-selling but clients with buy orders on have reduced them a bit."

KAREN JORRITSMA, HEAD OF EQUITIES, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS, SYDNEY "Markets started to sell off hard and we saw gold hit the highest level in a year and oil pushed to $100 so it was a typical war trade reaction...

"Equities reaction today is the combination of the U.S. on Wednesday night being really scrappy and the news today. This will scatter global investor confidence. You have world economies already going through the transition away from stimulus, now the question of what happens to global growth as a result of this." VASU MENON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF INVESTMENT STRATEGY, OCBC, SINGAPORE

"History shows that military attacks like this and geopolitical events will pass eventually if there is no major global economic impact. If this is so, markets will rebound after an initial sharp drawdown. Those looking to buy on dips should buy gradually and must take a medium to long term view." HOWIE LEE, ECONOMIST, OCBC, SINGAPORE

"Asia will keenly feel the effects of the conflict via inflationary pressures. If Russia's oil is kept off international trade by sanctions, Asia as a typical net-importer of oil will feel the heat from higher cost of energy imports." YASUHIDE YAJIMA, CHIEF ECONOMIST, NLI RESEARCH INSTITUTE, TOKYO

"There's nothing good in this for Japan's economy, which is reliant on solid U.S. and Chinese growth. If the global economy slumps and hits external demand, that would deal a huge blow to Japan's economy." ROBERT RENNIE, HEAD OF FINANCIAL MARKET STRATEGY, WESTPAC, SYDNEY

"From an energy standpoint, the world is desperately unprepared for a geopolitical crisis like this. Oil inventories are already staggeringly low and Russia is such a major producer any sanctions that threaten supply would be hugely damaging. From an FX perspective, why the euro isn't a lot lower is a mystery. It should be." ELIZABETH TIAN, EQUITIES DERIVATIVES DIRECTOR, CITIGROUP, SYDNEY

"Oil has hit $100 a barrel for the first time since 2014 and we could see it hit $120 on this. Markets are very nervous and those nerves are evident across asset classes. Treasuries and gold are rallying on the risk off theme." YUAN YUWEI, PARTNER, WATER WISDOM ASSET MANAGEMENT, HANGZHOU

"Whether there will be a full-blown war or not, the simple strategy is to bet on a spike in inflation. "That means buying oil and agricultural products, and shorting consumer shares and U.S. growth stocks.

"China will likely boost support to sectors, such as agriculture, semiconductors and new energy that are key to national security."

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)