Live Index – Tue, 18 Mar 2014 Premarket

June E-mini S&Ps (ESM14 -0.04%) this morning are down -0.09% and European stocks are down -0.17% after German investor confidence slid for a third month to its lowest in 7-months. Also, Russian President Putin ordered approval of an accord on Crimea’s accession to Russia, which signals Russia won’t back down from annexation of Ukraine’s territory even after the U.S. and EU imposed sanctions on Russian officials and threatened further measures. Asian stocks closed mostly higher: Japan +0.94%, Hong Kong +0.51%, China -0.23%, Taiwan +0.37%, Australia +0.51%, Singapore +0.05%, South Korea +0.69%, India +0.10%. India’s Sensex Stock Index climbed to a record high after Goldman Sachs raised its recommendation on India to ‘Overweight’ from ‘Market weight.’ Commodity prices are mixed. Apr crude oil (CLJ14 +0.18%) is up +0.06%. Apr gasoline (RBJ14 +0.28%) is up +0.30%. Apr gold (GCJ14 -0.90%) is down -0.74%. May copper (HGK14 unch) is unch. Agriculture and livestock prices are mixed with Apr hogs up +0.78% at an all-time high. The dollar index (DXY00 +0.02%) is up +0.04. EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is down -0.13%. USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is down -0.32%. June T-note prices (ZNM14 +0.13%) are up +6 ticks.

The German Mar ZEW survey expectations of economic growth fell -9.1 to 46.6, a bigger decline than expectations of -3.7 to 52.0 and the lowest in 7-months. The Mar ZEW survey current situation rose +1.3 to 51.3, less than expectations of +2.0 to 52.0, but still the highest in 2-1/2 years.

Eurozone Feb new car registrations rose +8.0% y/y to 861 million.

The German Feb wholesale price index fell -0.1% m/m and -1.8% y/y.

Japan Feb machine tool orders were revised up to +26.2% y/y from the previously reported +26.0% y/y.

The market is expecting the FOMC at its 2-day meeting that begins today to cut QE3 by another $ 10 billion to $ 55 per month. Today’s Feb CPI is expected to fall to +1.2% y/y from +1.6% in January. Meanwhile, the Feb core CPI is expected to be unchanged from January at +1.6% y/y. Today’s Feb housing starts report is expected to show a modest upward rebound of +3.5% to 911,000 following the -16.0% plunge to 880,000 seen in January. There are 7 of the Russell 1000 companies report earnings today: FactSet (consensus $ 1.22), Hertz (0.32), Oracle (0.70), SolarCity (-0.58), Adobe (0.25), Tech Data (1.93), and DSW (0.29).

Equity conferences during the remainder of this week include: Consumer Analyst Group of Europe (CAGE) Conference on Mon-Wed, Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Industrials & EU Auto Conference on Tue-Thu, Goldman Sachs TMT Leveraged Finance Conference on Wed, International Strategy & Investment Retail Summit on Wed, ISI Retail Summit on Wed-Thu, Gabelli & Company Specialty Chemicals Conference on Thu, Bloomberg Mexico Economic Summit on Thu, and Capital Link Invest in International Shipping Forum on Thu.

Cisco (CSCO +0.75%) was downgraded to ‘Equal Weight’ from ‘Overweight’ at Barclays.

DSW (DSW +1.16%) reported Q4 adjusted EPS of 31 cents, better than consensus of 29 cents.

Starting Wednesday, March 26, Walmart (WMT +0.54%) said that customers will be able to trade in their video games and apply the value immediately towards the purchase of anything sold at Walmart and Sam’s Club.

Universal Health (UHS -0.32%) was upgraded to ‘Buy’ from ‘Hold’ at KeyBanc.

Hewlett-Packard (HPQ +1.41%) was upgraded to ‘Overweight’ from ‘Equal Weight’ at Barclays.

Hertz (HTZ +4.77%) reported Q4 EPS of 26 cents, weaker than consensus of 32 cents, and then lowered guidance on fiscal 2014 adjusted EPS to $ 1.70-$ 2.00, below consensus of$ 2.07. The board of Hertz then announced plans to separate into two independent, publicly traded companies.

Prosensa Holding N.V. (RNA -0.59%) reported encouraging 48-week data from its U.S.-based, Phase 2 placebo-controlled study, DMD114876 or DEMAND V, of its lead compound, drisapersen, for the treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

The Verge reports that Microsoft (MSFT +0.93%) will introduce Microsoft Office for Apple’s (AAPL +0.39%) iPad at a press event later this month.

Moody’s Investors Service downgraded Argentina’s government bond rating to Caa1 from B3, and changed the outlook to stable from negative.

Con-way Freight (CNW +0.79%) announced that it will institute a general rate increase of 5.4% applicable to non-contractual business, effective March 31.

Castle Creek reported a 9.45% passive stake in Guaranty Federal Bancshares (GFED +0.63%) .

Gabelli reported a 5.59% stake in Xyratex (XRTX +0.08%) .

June E-mini S&Ps (ESM14 -0.04%) this morning are down -1.75 points (-0.09%). The S&P 500 on Monday closed higher. Supportive factors included (1) speculation that there will be no escalation to the Ukraine crisis despite Crimea’s referendum on Sunday to leave the Ukraine and join Russia, and (2) the +0.6% rise in U.S. Feb industrial production, triple expectations of +0.2% m/m, which bolstered optimism in the U.S. economic outlook. Closes: S&P 500 +0.96%, Dow Jones +1.13%, Nasdaq +0.95%.

Jun 10-year T-notes (ZNM14 +0.13%) this morning are up +6 ticks. Jun 10-year T-note futures prices on Monday closed lower on the stronger-than-expected U.S. Feb industrial production report of +0.6% and on reduced safe-haven demand for Treasuries as stocks rallied on speculation that Crimea’s vote to leave the Ukraine and join Russia won’t lead to further escalation of the Ukraine crisis. Closes: TYM4 -12.00, FVM4 -7.50.

The dollar index (DXY00 +0.02%) this morning is up +0.030 (+0.04%). EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is down -0.0018 (-0.13%). USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is down -0.33 (-0.32%). The dollar index on Monday closed lower after a rally in stocks reduced the safe-haven demand for the dollar. EUR/USD strengthened on speculation that the Crimea situation may not escalate further after Crimea’s vote to leave Ukraine and join Russia. Dollar losses were limited after the Chinese yuan tumbled to an 11-month low against the dollar as the PBOC widened the yuan’s daily trading band to trade as much as 2% on either side of the reference rate, compared with the previous limit of 1%. Closes: Dollar index -0.061 (-0.08%), EUR/USD +0.00182 (+0.13%), USD/JPY +0.423 (+0.42%).

Apr WTI crude oil (CLJ14 +0.18%) this morning is up +6 cents (+0.06%) and Apr gasoline (RBJ14 +0.28%) is up +0.0086 (+0.30%). Apr crude and gasoline prices on Monday closed lower with Apr gasoline at a 5-week low. Negative factors for crude included (1) speculation that Crimea’s vote to leave Ukraine and join Russia is unlikely to disrupt global crude supplies, and (2) expectations for weekly EIA crude inventories on Wednesday to increase +1.983 million bbl, the ninth consecutive increase. Closes: CLJ4 -0.81 (-0.82%), RBJ4 -0.0786 (-2.66%).