Peter Nurse 

Investing.com: European stock market markets will open on Tuesday, after a lengthy weekend. After this long weekend investors are focusing on Ukraine and Russia’s intensified aggression to the east.

The contract in Germany fell 0.3% at 2AM ET (0600 GMT), while it dropped 0.1% in France. Meanwhile, the U.K. contract rose 0.1%.

Moscow has changed the focus of its ground offensive against Ukraine’s two eastern regions, the Donbas. This is what Ukrainian officials call the second phase.

Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian President, said Russia had started “Battle of Donbass”, in the East. He also stated that a large section of Russia’s army was now focused on this offensive.

Russia’s attempt to undermine Ukraine was centered on Donbas. Moscow made the region republics late February. Donbas is the home of much of Russia’s industrial wealth including coal, steel, and other resources.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has roiled global markets, forcing many commodity prices higher and prompting fears of stagflation, particularly in Europe, which relies heavily on Russian energy. 

On Monday, the lowered its 2022 global growth projections by almost a whole percentage point to 3.2%, from 4.1%. This was due to the effects of war.

European investors returning after the Easter weekend will also have to digest Friday’s decision of the People’s Bank of China to cut the reserve requirement for all banks by 25 basis points to try and cushion a sharp slowdown in the world’s second largest economy. 

China beats all expectations with 4.8% growth in its first quarter compared to one year prior.

In corporate news, Rolls-Royce (OTC:) may be in the spotlight Tuesday after the news that the company’s design for a small modular nuclear reactor will likely receive UK regulatory approval by mid-2024 and be able to produce grid power by 2029.

However, most eyes will be on earnings on Wall Street later in the session, with the likes of Netflix (NASDAQ:), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:) and Lockheed Martin (NYSE: ) was among those companies that reported Tuesday.

Oil prices rose Tuesday after political protests in Libya raised concerns about tight supply. OPEC members were forced to halt certain exports.

Libya’s Sharara field, which can pump 300,000 barrels a day, has been closed due to a wave of protests, with the country saying it could not deliver oil from its biggest oil field. 

Futures were trading 0.4% lower at $107.22 per barrel by 2AM ET while contract prices rose 0.2% to $112.90 After reaching their highest levels since March 28, both benchmarks saw a more substantial increase of 1%. 

Also, the price rose 0.5% at $1,977.10/oz and traded 0.1% less at 1.0776.