Britain is sending Typhoon fighter jets and an A400M transport aircraft to Saudi Arabia after fresh "strikes" by the Houthis on Riyadh.
Brent was above $110 earlier, at $111.62, while WTI crude stood at $100.96, the US 10-year yield at 5.13% and France's equivalent at 4.946%.
The VIX/CBOE index stood at 18.65 points, S&P 500 futures were down 0.28%, and in Paris the CAC 40's correction continued towards 7,790 points.
Sellers remained firmly in control of European bank shares today, sending the EuroStoxx Banks down a further 1.70% to 280.29 points.
The selling has not spared domestic groups either. It was clear from the outset that another round of selling in EuroStoxx Banks shares would reach the Greek stock market.
From the start of the session, the first orders were placed at prices slightly below yesterday's, widening the gap to the downside. The Banking Index fell from 3,003.88 points to 2,957, with the 2,980 area proving to be particularly weak support (on a weekly basis).
An attempted rebound shortly after 10:45 had some success until 11:35, but pressure from sellers once again overcame buyers. Just 7.4 million bank shares changed hands, out of a total of 17.3 million shares. Under other circumstances, this might have suggested that supply was easing.
However, as one broker estimated, moderate supply could mean that sellers, who know the "depth" of orders as (potential) buyers put it, are gradually reducing their positions to avoid a broader "fire sale". The Banking Index has been edging lower, from 3,266 points last Tuesday.
Turnover topped €100 million just after 14:50, with €14.7 million in pre-agreed trades. The pace of order flow was reminiscent of yesterday's session, when turnover reached €178.8 million.
Sellers were in control of all four systemic bank shares, with Piraeus at 9.554 (-1.48%), National Bank at 15.59 (-1.17%) and Eurobank at 4.341 (-2.21%). The top five were rounded out by Capital Maritime Finance and GEK TERNA.
Orders in CMFC shares ranged from 7.55 to 7.46, making it the "first" on Euronext Athens' Main Market. Orders in GEK TERNA ranged from 39.84 to 38.72. The company is proceeding with a seven-year bond issue worth €500 million.
The FTSE 25 fell below 6,600 to 6,590 points, as sellers remained dominant across most large-cap shares.
The main counterweight came from Coca-Cola HBC, with orders at 52.90-54.10. AKTOR shares stood at 9.85 (3.03%), Credia Bank at 0.92 (0.56%) and Lamda Development at 6.09 (1.69%).
Just four of the FTSE 25's 25 shares were in positive territory, and only three of the 20 in the FTSE Mid Cap: Intracom Holdings (3.09), IDEAL Holdings (5.38) and Fourlis (4 ).
The ratio of shares in positive to negative territory was 28/88 (at 15:15).