Playing off a supposed agreement between Russia and Ukraine, brokered by western powers like France and Germany, equities markets relaxed a bit and were bid up across the world. Not all is rosy, however, in eastern Europe.

Today’s market can be characterized as cautious, rather than fearful.

The U.S. dollar edged higher and that helped knock gold down a bit, although moves in the currency and the commodity were modest. The buck moved up on a couple of news items.