Futures Movers: U.S. stock futures sink as Russia attacks Ukraine’s largest nuclear plant

U.S. stock-index futures sank late Thursday after reports that Europe's largest nuclear power plant, in Ukraine, was on fire after Russian shelling. Read More...

U.S. stock-index futures tumbled late Thursday after reports that Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, in Ukraine, was on fire after Russian shelling, raising fears of an unprecedented nuclear disaster.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures YM00, -0.52% plunged about 500 points immediately after the first reports, but largely recovered and were last down less than 200 points, while S&P 500 futures ES00, -0.68% and Nasdaq-100 futures NQ00, -0.88% fell as well.

According to Associated Press reports, the nuclear power plant in the southern Ukrainian city of Enerhodar was shelled by Russian troops, and the facility was on fire. Plant spokesman Andriy Tuz told the AP that shells were falling directly on the plant and that one reactor — which had been under renovation and not operating, but still contains nuclear fuel — was on fire. He added that firefighters cannot get to the scene because of the fighting.

Futures recovered as later reports were not quite as alarming. There was confusion about the details; a Reuters correspondent reported that the fire broke out at a training building outside the plant’s perimeter, and a Ukrainian regulator told the International Atomic Energy Agency there were no signs of increased radiation at the site.

Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s minister of foreign affairs, tweeted that “Russians must IMMEDIATELY cease the fire, allow firefighters, establish a security zone!”

According to experts, the risk lies if the plant loses power and is unable to cool the nuclear material — leading to a meltdown, which could be accompanied by an explosion.

Crude prices continued their surge, with April West Texas Intermediate crude futures CLJ22, +2.36% above $112 a barrel and May Brent crude BRNK22, +2.05%, the global benchmark, nearing $114 a barrel.

Stock futures had been little changed before news of the attack.

During the regular trading day, the stock market failed to hold onto gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.29% closed down 96.69 points, or 0.3%, to 33,794.66; the S&P 500 SPX, -0.53% fell 23.05 points, or 0.5%, ending at 4,363.49; and the Nasdaq Composite COMP, -1.56% ended 214.07 points lower, or 1.6%, finishing at 13,537.94.