Thursday Watch

Evening Headlines

Bloomberg:              

• In a Chilling Threat, Putin Vows to Rid Russia of ‘Traitors’.
• Biden Ramps Up Military Aid to Ukraine, Including Armed Drones.
  
• Hidden Debt Fears Unravel Lucrative Lifeline for China Builders.
• Ukraine Update: Biden Offers Weapons, Calls Putin ‘War Criminal’.  
• The Global Fight Over Chips Is About to Get Even Worse.  
• Hong Kong Raises Benchmark Interest Rate After Fed Tightens.  
• Brazil Raises Rates to 5-Year High, May Step Up Pace Amid Shocks.  
• Stocks Aided by Upbeat Powell; Bonds Flash Caution: Markets Wrap.
• Powell Ramps Up Inflation Fight in Economy Tough Enough to Cope.
• Fed Lifts Rates a Quarter Point and Signals More Hikes to Come.  
• Robinhood Readies Feature That Lets Users Lend Out Stocks.  
• Citi Draws Ire of Texas Republicans Over Its New Abortion Policy.  
• Lennar Raises Forecasts as Home Orders Top Estimates.  
• Gundlach Thinks A Recession’s Likely in 2023.

Wall Street Journal:

• Latest Updates: Biden Says Putin Is a War Criminal.
• Fed Embarks on Rate Increases to Combat Inflation.
• Recap | Our Analysis of Fed Decision.
• A Town Deals Russia One of the War’s Most Decisive Routs.
• Why U.S. Oil and Gas Producers Aren’t Solving the Energy Crisis. The crash of 2020 and the pressure of climate-change politics led them to reconsider their business models.
• Germany to Russia: We’re Buying the F-35. Purchase of the modern fighter is part of its new military upgrade.
• 9/11 Tribute Museum in Lower Manhattan Preparing to Close Permanently.
• Instagram Adds Parental Controls For the First Time.

Fox News:  

• White House says 'legal process' is still under review after Biden levels scorching accusation against Putin.
• Biden admin urges Congress to seize deadly moment to push energy policies.
  

CNBC.com:

• Federal Reserve approves first interest rate hike in more than three years, sees six more ahead.
• Fed’s rate forecast signals willingness to sacrifice growth to stop inflation, strategists say.
• Russian invasion of Ukraine will lower car production by millions of units over two years, S&P says.
• Stocks making the biggest moves after hours: Lennar, Williams-Sonoma and more.

MarketWatch: 

• The Fed got inflation badly wrong — and now it admits there’s no quick fix.

Zero Hedge:

• Biden Calls Putin "A War Criminal" After Approving Armed Drones For Ukraine.
• Stocks, Gold, Cryptos Soar As Fed Hawkish Surprise Triggers Inversion, Countdown To Policy Error And Next Recesssion.
• Soros Worries About Putin-Xi Partnership, Hopes They Can Be Stopped "Before They Destroy Our Civilization".
• Australia Invests $360 Million In Rare Earth Projects To Combat China's Dominance.
• Ukraine's Corn Harvest May Plunge By A Third, Estimates Show.
• Flotilla Of 12 Tankers Carrying Russian Oil Approaching The US.
• DHS Collected Americans’ Financial Records In Bulk: Sen. Wyden.
• Max frustration market.
• Biden Poised To Remove Iran's IRGC From Terror List To Wrap Up Nuke Deal.
• Blinken Planning Trip To Saudi Arabia Amid Ukraine-Induced Scramble For More Oil.
• Russia Demands US Stop Arms Flow To Ukraine In Call; Sullivan Warns Against Chemical Weapons Use.
• 'Benghazi All Over Again': Fauci Braces For House GOP Investigations.
• "Soviet-Like Inflation" Returns As Sanctions Shock Russia Into Crisis.

Newsmax:   

• World Court: 'Zero Tolerance' for Crimes Against Kids in Ukraine.

TheGatewayPundit.com: 

• “I Think It’s Ridiculous We’re Not Moving to a 7-1 Map” – MO Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft Discusses Redistricting and Ranked-Choice Voting Movement in MO and Drops Names (AUDIO).
• Developing: Lansing Banquet Hall Receives Death Threats for Holding MAGA Event Later This Month — Owners Refuse to Bow Down to the Violent Leftist Mob (VIDEO).
• Transportation Secretary Buttigieg Says Solution to High Gas Prices is “Public Transportation” (VIDEO).
• NY Gov. Hochul to Extend Covid State of Emergency For Another Month.
• NY Governor Kathy Hochul Invited to NY Rangers Game – Gets Booed Off the Ice (VIDEO).
• California Democrat Lawmakers Vote Against Ending Governor Newsom’s Covid Emergency Powers.
• JUST IN: RINO Speaker Robin Vos ADMITS Widespread Fraud Occurred In Wisconsin But Says Legislature Cannot Decertify [VIDEO].
• After Watching Russia Invade Ukraine, Biden Responds with Weak Deterrent to Potential China Invasion of Taiwan.
• 8-Year-Old Boy in Peru Develops ‘Stevens-Johnson Syndrome’ Following Second Dose of Pfizer Covid-19.
• 52-Year-Old Australian Cricket Legend Died from Massive Heart Attack While on Vacation in Thailand.

The Epoch Times:

• China Lockdowns Expected to Worsen Supply Chain Crisis, Inflation Pressures.

Twitter: 

• @theragex - Chernihiv region, citizens are blocking the roads with their own bodies, they have stopped a Russian column from advancing. (video)
• @The_Real_Fly - INDIA MAY PURCHASE UP TO 15 MLN BARRELS OF RUSSIAN OIL - BUSINESS STANDARD.
• @ScooterCasterNY - Image obtained by Maxar shows the Mariupol Drama Theater that acted as a bomb shelter, that was bombed, the word "ДЕТИ" (CHILDREN) was written in huge letters. There is no accident. Over 1000 people reported dead.

GETTR:

• @DiscloseTV - NEW - Meanwhile in China: Thousands of residents in more than 100 buildings in Shenzhen are taken to isolation camps. (video)
• VigilantFox - Dr. McCullough—Blood Clots, Myocarditis, and Collapsing Athletes—Did They Take the Vaccine? (video) Dr. McCullough Goes Straight at Pfizer CEO for Pushing More Jabs Instead of Looking at Safety "We don't need Albert Bourla on advertising more vaccines... We need him on explaining why are there 1223 deaths that have occurred after the Pfizer vaccine in the first 90 days?" (video)
  

OpenVAERS:

• VAERS US COVID Vaccine Adverse Event Reports. 783,281 Reports(+8,909 from prior week) Through March 4th, 2022.
  

SKirsch.com:

• Using the MGH numbers with our own VAERS queries, we have 247 cases per million doses from the MGH study divided by 5.97 cases per million doses from VAERS. 247/5.97 = 41. This suggests that the VAERS under-reporting factor (URF) is 41X.

Covid-19(Data, Maps, Graphs):

• Our World in Data:  New Global Covid-19 Cases(7-day rolling average graphs). New US Covid Hospital Admissions/ICU Admissions/Deaths
  
• FT.com:  Fully Vaccinated by Country(graph). Global Lockdown Stringency Index(map).
• Bloomberg.com:  International Travel Restrictions.  Case Graphs by State.
  
• NYTimes.com:  County Trends and Clusters. Local ICU Occupancy.
  
• Brown School of Public Health:  Covid Severity by State/County(map).  US Hospital Capacity(region).
  
• CovidActNow:  Covid Severity/Infection Rate by Metro Area.
  
• KFF:  US Vaccinations by Race/Ethnicity.
  
• Carnegie Mellon: Covid-Like Symptoms in Community. Covid Symptom Searches on Google. Covid-Related Dr.Visits.  Restaurant Visits. Wearing Masks. (graphs)
  
• Safegraph.com:  Commerce Patterns(graphs).

Night Trading 

• Asian equity indices are +1.5% to +2.25% on average.

• Asia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 109.5 -11.5 basis points. 

• China Sovereign CDS 60.5 -10.0 basis points.
  

• Bloomberg Emerging Markets Currency Index 52.50 +.24%. 
• Bloomberg Global Risk-On/Risk Off Index 3,191.0 +86.0 points.
• Volatility Index(VIX) futures 27.5 -.15%.
• Euro Stoxx 50 futures +.18%.

• S&P 500 futures +.14%.

• NASDAQ 100 futures +.19%. 

Morning Preview Links

Earnings of Note 
Company/Estimate 

 

Before the Open: 

• (ACN)/2.37
• (CMC)/1.38
• (DG)/2.57
• (GIII)/.65
• (SIG)/5.01
• (WRBY)/-.09
  

After the Close:

• (FDX)/4.65
• (GME)/.84
  

Economic Releases

8:30 am EST

• Housing Starts for Feb. is estimated to rise to 1700K versus 1638K in Jan.
• Building Permits for Feb. is estimated to fall to 1850K versus 1899K in Jan.
• Philly Fed Business Outlook Index for March is estimated to fall to 14.8 versus 16.0 in Feb.
• Initial Jobless Claims for last week are estimated to fall to 220K versus 227K the prior week.
• Continuing Claims are estimated to fall to 1480K versus 1494K prior.
  

9:15 am EST

• Industrial Production MoM for Feb. is estimated to rise +.5% versus a +1.4% gain in Jan.
• Capacity Utilization for Feb. is estimated to rise to 77.9% versus 77.6% in Jan.
• Manufacturing Production for Feb. is estimated to rise +1.0% versus a +.2% gain in Jan.
  

Upcoming Splits

• None of note
  

Other Potential Market Movers

• The Bank of England decision, Australia Unemployment report and the weekly EIA natural gas inventory report could also impact global trading today.

US Equity Market Hours

• 9:30 am - 4:00 pm EST
  

BOTTOM LINE: Asian indices are higher, boosted by technology and industrial shares in the region. I expect US stocks to open mixed and to rally into the afternoon, finishing modestly higher. The Portfolio is 75% net long heading into the day.