Financial stocks suffer broad beating after Russia's invasion of Ukraine sends Treasury yields lower

Financial stocks suffered a broad beating Thursday, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine sparked a flight to safety that sent Treasury prices higher and yields lower. The SPDR Financial Select Sector ETF sank 3.8% in premarket trading toward a five-month low, with only one of 67 equity components gaining ground, while futures for the S&P 500 dove 2.6% toward a nine-month low. Among the ETF's more-active components, shares of Bank of America Corp. dropped 5.1%, Wells Fargo & Co. slid 4.8%, Citigroup Inc. shed 5.1%, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. fell 4.0%, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lost 4.0% and Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. declined 2.8%. The lone gainer in the ETF was CBOE Global Markets Inc.'s stock , which rose 3.0% as the invasion was seen as boosting market volatility. Meanwhile, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note slumped 11 basis points to 1.866%. Falling longer-term interest rates can crimp bank earnings, as it narrows the spread banks earn on longer-term assets, such as loans, that are funded by shorter-term liabilities.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.