Markets focus today: Russia's disconnection from SWIFT and Powell's speech

On Saturday, many Western countries decided to block the SWIFT international payment network for some Russian banks. The West took such measures as a response to Russia's military operation in Ukraine. 

Such news brought another wave of unrest to the global financial markets. Investors fear that measures to block Russian banks' access to the SWIFT system will disrupt world trade and harm not only Russia, but also the interests of the West. The Russian ruble has already reacted with a strong fall, and many analysts believe that this is not the end. Today's maximum of the USD/RUB pair was fixed at 109.12 rubles.

Another important event of the current week will be the speeches of the head of the US Federal Reserve Jerome Powell, scheduled for Wednesday (before the House Committee on Financial Services) and Thursday (before the Senate Banking Committee). 

Earlier, the Fed said it was ready to raise interest rates at the March meeting to combat inflation, which is at a 40-year high. However, now the United States needs to weigh all the geopolitical and economic consequences of the conflict in Ukraine. The escalation of military tensions will lead to a sharper increase in the cost of living due to higher energy prices, and additional pressure on household spending will have a negative impact on the economic recovery.

In addition, at the end of the week, it is worth paying attention to the statistics on employment in the non-agricultural sector of the United States. Analysts predict that the Nonfarm Payrolls report will show that 450 thousand jobs have been added to the country's economy, the unemployment rate has fallen to 3.9%, and average hourly earnings have increased by 5.8% year-on-year.