Wall Street opens lower as economic toll steepens for Russia

NEW YORK (AP) — Markets are trembling again as fighting intensifies in Ukraine and as Western nations rachet up steps to further isolate and punish Russia economically for its aggression. The S&P 500 fell 1% in early trading Monday, oil prices surged and investors shifted money into safe havens like U.S. government bonds. A measure of fear on Wall Street rose sharply. The value of Russia’s currency, the ruble, sank to a record low and the country’s stock market was closed. Western nations blocked some Russian banks from a global payments system, and the Treasury Department announced new sanctions that could immobilize any assets of the Russian central bank.