Stocks Surging into Final Hour on Earnings Outlook Optimism, Diminished US Terrorism Angst, Short-Covering, Tech/Alt Energy Sector Strength

Economic Gauges:

• Bloomberg Emerging Markets Currency Index 36.7 +.17%
• 3-Month T-Bill Yield 4.29% -2.0 basis points
  

• China Iron Ore Spot 98.8 USD/Metric Tonne +.6%
• Dutch TTF Nat Gas(European benchmark) 49.6 euros/megawatt-hour -1.3%

• Citi US Economic Surprise Index 5.7 +3.5 points
  

• Citi Eurozone Economic Surprise Index -12.4 +.2 point

• Citi Emerging Markets Economic Surprise Index -1.5 unch.
• S&P 500 Current Quarter EPS Growth Rate YoY(19 of 500 reporting) +21.2% unch.
  
• S&P 500 Blended Forward 12 Months Mean EPS Estimate 272.29 +.13:  Growth Rate +14.1% +.1 percentage point, P/E 21.8 +.1
  
• S&P 500 Current Year Estimated Profit Margin 12.57% unch.
  
• NYSE FANG+ Current Quarter EPS Growth Rate YoY(0 of 10 reporting) n/a
  
• NYSE FANG+ Blended Forward 12 Months Mean EPS Estimate 393.38 +.11: Growth Rate +25.5% +.1 percentage point, P/E 33.9 +.2
  
• Bloomberg US Financial Conditions Index .66 -2.0 basis points
  
• Bloomberg Euro-Zone Financial Conditions Index 1.39 -97.0 basis points
  
• US Yield Curve 31.5 basis points (2s/10s) -1.0 basis point
  
• US Atlanta Fed Q4 GDPNow Forecast +2.45% -14.0 basis points
  
• US Recession Within 6 Months Probability(3M/18M Forward Yld Curve Spread) 24.9% -.9 percentage point
  

• Cleveland Fed Inflation Nowcast Core PCE YoY +2.87% unch.: CPI YoY +2.86% unch.
  
• 10-Year TIPS Spread 2.35 unch.
  
• Highest target rate probability for March 19th FOMC meeting: 51.5% (+2.1 percentage points) chance of 4.25%-4.5%. Highest target rate probability for May 7th meeting: 45.2%(-1.0 percentage point) chance of 4.0%-4.25%. (current target rate is 4.25-4.5%)
  

Overseas Futures:

• Nikkei 225 Futures: Indicating -198 open in Japan 
• China A50 Futures: Indicating -9 open in China

• DAX Futures: Indicating +138 open in Germany

Portfolio:

• Higher: On gains in my tech/utility/financial/consumer discretionary/industrial sector longs
• Disclosed Trades: Covered some of my (IWM)/(QQQ) hedges
  
• Market Exposure: Moved to 100% Net Long

Bull Radar

Style Outperformer:

• Mid-Cap Growth +2.1%
  

Sector Outperformers:

• 1) Alt Energy +5.1% 2) Semis +3.0% 3) Computer Hardware +2.6%

Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume:

• CRNC, SERV, ATOM, OKLO, RIVN, ACHR, OUST, RIOT, DNA, TEM, LUNR, MP, IONQ, ANAB, BTDR, PGY, SSTK, RCAT, ACHC, RDDT, ARM, VST, MBLY, PAY, SOUN, SQ, CHWY, CGON, FTI, KD, JBL, AMBA, PRTH, ALGM, CEG, MRC, GEAR, MELI, BMEZ, UBS, TMDX, NTR, GPRK, EOLS, TEO, QXO, FFIC, UBER and MOS
  

Stocks With Unusual Call Option Activity:

• 1) CRNC 2) GT 3) GEVO 4) JPM 5) NRG

Stocks With Most Positive News Mentions:

• 1) CRNC 2) RIVN 3) CYCC 4) NUS 5) LFCR
  

Sector ETFs With Most Positive Money Flow:

• 1) VGT 2) IYW 3) MSTY 4) IBB 5) XLC
  

Charts:

• ETFs Rising on Unusual Volume
• Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume

Monday's Earnings/Economic Releases of Note; Market Movers

Earnings of Note 
Company/Estimate 

Before the Open:

• (CMC)/.79
  

After the Close: 

• None of note
  

Economic Releases

9:45 am EST

• Final S&P Global US PMI readings for Dec.
  

10:00 am EST

• Factory Orders for Nov. is estimated to fall -.4% versus a +.2% gain in Oct.
• Final Durable Goods Orders readings for Nov.

Upcoming Splits

• (ODC) 2-for-1

Other Potential Market Movers

• The Fed's Cook speaking, the CFTC speculative net positioning reports and the Goldman Energy/CleanTech/Utilities conference could also impact global trading on Monday.

US Equity Market Hours

• 9:30 am - 4:00 pm EST

Mid-Day Market Internals

NYSE Composite Index:

• Volume Running -.1% Below 100-Day Average 
• Nasdaq/NYSE Volume Ratio 20.2 -.5
  
• 0 Sectors Declining, 11 Sectors Rising
• 71.8% of Issues Advancing, 26.6% Declining 
• TRIN/Arms 1.48 +55.8%
  
• Non-Block Money Flow +$196.6M
  
• 27 New 52-Week Highs, 19 New Lows
• 52.9% (+2.4%) of Issues Above 200-day Moving Average
• Average 14-Day RSI 39.8 +1.8
  

Other:

• Bloomberg Global Risk-On/Risk-Off Index 70.1 +3.4%
• Bloomberg Cyclicals/Defensives Index 249.6 +.02%
  
• Russell 1000: Growth/Value 21,798.1 +.5%
• CNN Fear & Greed Index 30.0 (FEAR) +2.0
  
• 1-Day Vix 11.5 -25.7%
  
• Vix 16.8 -6.5%
  
• Total Put/Call .75 -26.6%

Friday Watch

Night Trading 

• Asian equity indices are -.25% to +.75% on average.

• Asia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 79.0 -1.5 basis points.

• China Sovereign CDS 65.0 -.5 basis point.
  
• China Iron Ore Spot 99.0 USD/Metric Tonne -1.9%

• Bloomberg Emerging Markets Currency Index 36.6 -.03%.
• Bloomberg Global Risk-On/Risk Off Index 67.8 +.1%.
• Volatility Index(VIX) futures 18.2 -.7%.
• Euro Stoxx 50 futures -.24%.

• S&P 500 futures +.16%.

• NASDAQ 100 futures +.27%.  

Morning Preview Links

BOTTOM LINE: Asian indices are mostly higher, boosted by technology and energy shares in the region. I expect US stocks to open modestly higher and to weaken into the afternoon, finishing mixed.  The Portfolio is 50% net long heading into the day.

Stocks Reversing Modestly Lower into Final Hour on Escalating US Domestic Terrorism Fears, Diminishing China Stimulus Optimism, US Dollar Strength, Homebuilding/Regional Bank Sector Weakness

Economic Gauges:

• Bloomberg Emerging Markets Currency Index 36.6 -.14%
• 3-Month T-Bill Yield 4.31% unch.
  

• China Iron Ore Spot 100.5 USD/Metric Tonne -.4%
• Dutch TTF Nat Gas(European benchmark) 50.3 euros/megawatt-hour +2.8%

• Citi US Economic Surprise Index 2.2 +3.9 points
  

• Citi Eurozone Economic Surprise Index -12.6 -.5 point

• Citi Emerging Markets Economic Surprise Index -1.5 +1.7 points
• S&P 500 Current Quarter EPS Growth Rate YoY(19 of 500 reporting) +21.2% unch.
  
• S&P 500 Blended Forward 12 Months Mean EPS Estimate 272.16 +.17:  Growth Rate +14.0% unch., P/E 21.7 unch.
  
• S&P 500 Current Year Estimated Profit Margin 12.57% unch.
  
• NYSE FANG+ Current Quarter EPS Growth Rate YoY(0 of 10 reporting) n/a
  
• NYSE FANG+ Blended Forward 12 Months Mean EPS Estimate 393.27 +.35: Growth Rate +25.4% +.1 percentage point, P/E 33.7 unch.
  
• Bloomberg US Financial Conditions Index .68 +12.0 basis points
  
• Bloomberg Euro-Zone Financial Conditions Index 2.36 +83.0 basis points
  
• US Yield Curve 32.5 basis points (2s/10s) +3.5 basis points
  
• US Atlanta Fed Q4 GDPNow Forecast +2.59% -50.0 basis points
  
• US Recession Within 6 Months Probability(3M/18M Forward Yld Curve Spread) 25.8% +.4 percentage point
  

• Cleveland Fed Inflation Nowcast Core PCE YoY +2.87% unch.: CPI YoY +2.86% unch.
  
• 10-Year TIPS Spread 2.35 +1.0 basis point
  
• Highest target rate probability for March 19th FOMC meeting: 49.7% (+2.7 percentage points) chance of 4.25%-4.5%. Highest target rate probability for May 7th meeting: 46.3%(-1.8 percentage points) chance of 4.0%-4.25%. (current target rate is 4.25-4.5%)
  

Overseas Futures:

• Nikkei 225 Futures: Indicating -404 open in Japan 
• China A50 Futures: Indicating -47 open in China

• DAX Futures: Indicating +55 open in Germany

Portfolio:

• Higher:  On gains in my tech/utility/financial sector longs, index hedges and emerging market shorts
  

• Disclosed Trades: Added to my (IWM)/(QQQ) hedges, then covered some
  

• Market Exposure: 50% Net Long
  

Bear Radar

Style Underperformer:

• Large-Cap Growth -.6%
  

Sector Underperformers:

• 1) Homebuilding -1.8% 2) Gambling -1.8% 3) Airlines -1.2%

Stocks Falling on Unusual Volume: 

• SIG, PRTH, AAPL, WAY, X, PFSI, SOUN, SKYT, ARQQ, CVNA, COCO, MTN, CPF, SPNT, PDYN, TSLA, FUL, SOFI and RCAT
  

Stocks With Unusual Put Option Activity:

• 1) PARA 2) JETS 3) MDLZ 4) ZIM 5) TAN
  

Stocks With Most Negative News Mentions:

• 1) SOFI 2) CVNA 3) FUL 4) MTN 5) NMRA
  

Sector ETFs With Most Negative Money Flow:

• 1) XLI 2) XLF 3) XLE 4) PTF 5) XLK

Charts:

• ETFs Falling on Unusual Volume
• Stocks Falling on Unusual Volume

Bull Radar

Style Outperformer:

• Mid-Cap Growth +.1%
  

Sector Outperformers:

• 1) Gold & Silver +3.6% 2) Alt Energy +2.9% 3) Oil Service +1.9%

Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume:

• HSAI, BBAR, TSSI, BMA, TGS, RGTI, SUPV, AVXL, GGAL, NBIS, TEO, CSIQ, CEPU, SGML, ZIM, SYNA, BROS, SEDG, ATOM, ENVX, PAM, SERV, COHR, U, CEG, LYFT, TMDX, ECG, ETON, HPK, LUNR, FLNG, ARQT, CRESY, TRMD, BWLP, YPF, NET, UBER, DCTH, MDB and SFM
  

Stocks With Unusual Call Option Activity:

• 1) AXP 2) NTAP 3) OTLY 4) PRMW 5) FLR

Stocks With Most Positive News Mentions:

• 1) NRXP 2) MODG 3) U 4) NET 5) CANG
  

Sector ETFs With Most Positive Money Flow:

• 1) IYW 2) XLP 3) OIH 4) XLC 5) SMH
  

Charts:

• ETFs Rising on Unusual Volume
• Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume

Tomorrow's Earnings/Economic Releases of Note; Market Movers

Earnings of Note 
Company/Estimate 

Before the Open:

• None of note
  

After the Close: 

• None of note
  

Economic Releases

8:30 am EST

• ISM Manufacturing for Dec. is estimated to fall to 48.2 versus 48.4 in Nov.
• ISM Prices Paid for Dec. is estimated to rise to 51.8 versus 50.3 in Nov.
  

Afternoon

• Wards Total Vehicle Sales for Dec. is estimated at 16.5M versus 16.5M in Nov.

Upcoming Splits

• (MTH) 2-for-1

Other Potential Market Movers

• The Atlanta Fed GDPNow Q4 update, US Baker Hughes weekly oil rig count and the EIA nat gas inventory report could also impact global trading tomorrow.

US Equity Market Hours

• 9:30 am - 4:00 pm EST

Mid-Day Market Internals

NYSE Composite Index:

• Volume Running -.3% Below 100-Day Average 
• Nasdaq/NYSE Volume Ratio 20.7 -11.2
  
• 4 Sectors Declining, 7 Sectors Rising
• 73.7% of Issues Advancing, 24.2% Declining 
• TRIN/Arms .83 +7.8%
  
• Non-Block Money Flow +$226.7M
  
• 27 New 52-Week Highs, 19 New Lows
• 53.2% (+1.9%) of Issues Above 200-day Moving Average
• Average 14-Day RSI 38.0 +4.0
  

Other:

• Bloomberg Global Risk-On/Risk-Off Index 68.1 -1.4%
• Bloomberg Cyclicals/Defensives Index 249.7 -.3%
  
• Russell 1000: Growth/Value 21,683.7 -.04%
• CNN Fear & Greed Index 28.0 (FEAR) unch.
  
• 1-Day Vix 13.5 -12.0%
  
• Vix 17.3 -.5%
  
• Total Put/Call .82 +3.8%

Thursday Watch

Around X:

• @elonmusk

• God bless the three police officers who engaged the terrorist directly after he crashed his vehicle, ultimately killing him. They put their lives on the line for their fellow Americans and saved countless others. Incredible heroism. Grateful they all survived the gun fight.
• The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards. Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken. (video)
• The FBI should be focused on fighting criminals and terrorists. Instead, the agency has wasted valuable resources hosting DEI seminars, investigating churchgoers, and raiding President Trump’s home. True. (video)

• @NickSortor

• JUST IN: Officials are “looking to confirm” whether or not an ISIS flag was on the back of the truck used in today’s attack, per Louisiana Lt. Gov. Nungesser If it’s left up to the FBI, expect to hear nothing. (pic)
• LMAO! Comedian Whitney Cummings is absolutely ROASTING Kamala Harris and CNN… while on CNN. “Kamala was forced on us so hard you’d think she was patented by Pfizer!” “I’m now playing like 3,000 seat theaters, which is about the viewership of CNN these days.” She’s SHOCKED that they didn’t cut her off. (video) 
• WTF? Mike Johnson’s Sergeant at Arms tried to FINE @RepThomasMassie for sharing this video of Democrats waving Ukrainian flags on the House floor. This was right after Johnson gave them BILLIONS more for Ukraine Why not fine those waving FOREIGN FLAGS? (video)
• #BREAKING: Driver kiIIed, 7 others injured after Cybertruck EXPLODES outside Trump Tower in Las Vegas. The driver pulled up, stopped right outside the front doors, and remained in the vehicle with their foot on the brake, and detonated explosives. THIS WAS AN ATTACK. Why aren’t we being given more details?! Where is the legacy media? (video)

• @DisrespectedThe 

• UPDATE: Image allegedly shows FBI agents in New Orleans, Louisiana, taking photos of an ISIS flag displayed on Shamsud Din Jabbar’s truck during the attack. Stay vigilant. This is only going to get worse ladies and gentlemen. (pic)

• @LaraLogan

• I learned months ago from multiple US intel sources that the CIA was urging their “friends” in the Taliban/Haqqani terror network to use their sleeper cells inside the US for an attack that would be blamed on ISIS. So I am very skeptical - it is too easy to blame ISIS. They do it over & over to hide the fact that powerful people inside American intel agencies are in bed with this nation’s enemies.

• @rawsalerts

• #BREAKING: The Cybertruck that exploded at Trump International Hotel was reportedly rigged with a detonation system controlled by the driver. (video)

• @robbystarbuck

• New Orleans Superintendent of Police Anne Kirkpatrick is ALSO an instructor for the FBI’s Leadership Training Program, where she instructs on "Bias and Diversity". She’s the chief of New Orleans Police Dept and a DEI teacher. DEI is a danger to the security of our country. (pic)
  

• @KashPatel_News
  

• They want us to believe over 600,000 voters in MI, WI, PA, AZ & NV decided to vote for Trump but than vote for a liberal democrat for senator. No shot, this must and will be investigated.
• How exactly did Kamala Harris raise $1.5 Billion dollars in approximately 3 months? They claim it was a majority of “small” donors through ActBlue. How many of these “small” donors were actually foreign donors, properly disguised as Americans? This is a crazy amount of money and the people deserve to know if there is foreign interference going on or not in our elections.

• @Zerohedge

• Unless Something Changes, 4 Years From Now We Will Be 51 Trillion Dollars In Debt. (pic)

• @C_Herridge
  

• CIA whistleblower on Directed Energy Attacks. “It fries your brain. Fries the circuits, fries the software.” “I was paid for my brain. I was paid for my ability to write well and to write for the president…I can't do that anymore…And that's one of the hardest parts.” (video)

• @RWMaloneMD

• This is stunningly irresponsible - why does “face the nation” give her airtime? There is no public health emergency. Even CDC says the risk is low. She seeks to normalize irresponsible, non scientifically and medically sound policies. This is psychological bioterrorism, and Lena Wen is a psychological bioterrorist. Who is she working for? (video)

• @MJTruthUltra

• Former FDA Commissioner, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, says Bird-Flu could be a “High Impact Event”. He wants more testing, and says 10 Million stockpiled doses of vaccines are now likely outdated and he wants newer vaccines to be stockpiled. DID YOU KNOW… • Dr. Scott Gottlieb is a member of the Pfizer board of directors and has been since 2019. —— YES…. Pfizer is working on a mRNA Bird-flu vaccine. • Gottlieb is a partner at New Enterprise Associates (NEA) Gottlieb, which invests in healthcare companies and could theoretically include companies involved in flu research or vaccine development. • Gottlieb is a board member of Illumina, Inc, a company focused on genomic technologies, which could play a role in rapid diagnostics or research into viruses like bird flu. • Gottlieb is a board member at Aetion, Inc…. This company focuses on drug development and their analytical capabilities could support research into flu vaccines or treatments. There are many more connections to him financially benefitting from Bird Flu. (video)

• @NicHulscher

• Here's a breakdown and visualization showing how the current H5N1 bird flu outbreak is likely the result of a lab leak from a USDA biolab. (pic)

• @charliekirk11

• Remember how Hamas attacked Israel, massacred 1,200 innocent civilians and then the Muslim world rallied behind the murderers? America just suffered a jihadist attack, dozens are dead and injured, and now a “pro-Palestinian” protest is blocking 6th Ave in NYC, rallying behind the murderers. This perverse, upside-down world only ends when we stop importing cultures that hate us, and deport those already here who reject our values and embrace a backward culture of terrorism and death. Meanwhile, we need leadership that possesses the moral clarity to stop fighting useless foreign wars and instead preserve our way of life. (video)

• @BGatesIsaPsycho
  

• “Here are the undeniable facts”. There are 25-30 US Funded Bio labs in Ukraine. Listen to Trumps Director for National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard explain. What you seriously thought this was just another Conspiracy Theory? Now ask yourself why Legacy Media NEVER told you about this? (video)

• @Amuse
  

• Trump is Fighter… (video)
• DEI: Evidence that the FBI is chronically lowering its standards are evident everywhere. Take Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan, who initially stated that the terror attack was not being considered a terrorist attack - she was wearing a prohibited nose ring. FBI agents should be rule followers - especially those in leadership roles. Alethea's decision to flaunt FBI rules in our faces on national television is just another example of the decline of the agency.

• @LightOnLiberty

• 200 congressmen have been treated with Ivermectin against Covid-19. You weren't allowed to use it because Big Pharma wanted to profit from the vaccines which they used the media conglomerates - they own - to advertise after they demonized Ivermectin. (video)

• @paintsaints
  

• In regards to the “fog”, I found this document from “The Air Force 2025” Report that was published in 1999. The site has been removed from the internet but I found it on The WayBack Machine. It discusses tiny nanoparticals that can be delivered through fog making them undetected. There are both defensive and offensive reasons why the military/government would disperse fog on purpose. Now we just need to figure out why they’re dispersing it now. Link to document: (pic)

• @Liz_Churchill10

• Pfizer knew exactly what they were doing. I hope that 2025 is the year they’re held accountable. Crimes Against Humanity. A Pfizer Insider released internal documents stating over 158K adverse reaction reports were received after 2 months of it's release. (video)

• @BehizyTweets

• BREAKING: An investigation by the Inspector General has found that three senior DOJ officials violated the law by leaking sensitive & private information to the media to hurt President Trump's reelection chances. “The OIG investigation found that three then Senior DOJ Officials violated DOJ’s Confidentiality and Media Contacts Policy by leaking to select reporters, days before an election, non-public DOJ investigative information regarding ongoing DOJ investigative matters, resulting in the publication of two news articles that included the non-public DOJ investigative information.”
• BREAKING: General Flynn just warned that Democrats could use all these acts of terrorism to remain in power. "Don’t discount a scenario where this “White House” considers deploying U.S. military forces on the streets of America to provide “security assistance” to some of the upcoming large events. The left and those leading inside and outside will leverage or create any and all excuses to remain in power." -@GenFlynn. It sounds ridiculous, but remember, Democrats live by the motto: "Never let a good crisis go to waste."

• @FiveTimesAugust

• I am 100% down to "make America great". I am 100% down to "make America healthy". But I don't see how either of those are possible if we walk away from the covid era without holding a single person accountable for the decisions that were made during that time. Further, it appears the agenda is to move straight on into operation bird flu to muddy the waters enough to get people to forget about covid while the compliant fall back in line with the plandemic infrastructure they built throughout 2020-22. It's very frustrating to watch this happen all over again. How the same cast of characters can even show their faces on TV today is beyond me, and that anyone would still listen to the likes of Fauci, Birx, or Wen is completely mind numbing.

• @matttttt187
  

• New Footage of the New Orleans Terror Attack as The Suspect Drove Down Bourbon Street At a High Rate of Speed! Why Didn’t Those Two Men Pull That Woman Out of the Way??? Wtf (video)

• @officer_Lew

• BREAKING: Bomb squads have carried out at least one controlled explosion of suspected bombs left by the attacker in New Orleans. Several devices have been found near the area of the attack as teams work to assess their viability. (video)

• @WallStreetApes

• NEW: Strange “Fog” in Montana that “smells like burning plastic”. “There's this smell of like burning plastic. — This fog is crazy. This is not normal”. “Here's the fog in Montana. This is not normal even for Montana — Yes, it is snowing, but it in between the snow you can see like this misty like steam thing”. You can see between the snow are different types of particles and a weird “fog”. Every post that mentions fog I make is getting community noted, they don’t want this topic being shared. (video)
• EVIL! Fox News reporting that little girls who are being trafficked across our border are being found “loaded up with birth control pills” which are given to them because they’re being r*ped repeatedly throughout the journey. “The Biden administration did everything they could to make sure you did not know anything about the children”. (video)
  

• @Liz_Churchill10

• Bill Gates gave Regime Media over $319M to control the narrative. Bill Gates owns the U.N. by donating $1.27B to Agenda 2030. Bill Gates is a member of the World Economic Forum. Bill Gates owns the W.H.O. alongside with the CCP. Bill Gates is a Menace to Society.

• @MarioNawful
  

• MEXICAN IMMIGRATION AGENT MURDERED BY MIGRANTS NEAR U.S. BORDER. Luis Alberto Olivas García, a 30-year veteran immigration agent, was brutally killed at a checkpoint near Ciudad Juarez after asking migrants for ID. 3 suspects—2 Venezuelans and 1 Colombian—were arrested. García suffered fatal head injuries, reportedly inflicted with a rock, and stab wounds. 
• CHINA LAUNCHES HISTORIC MILITARY BUILD-UP. China is executing the largest military expansion since 1930s Germany, reshaping the global power balance. While the U.S. spent $5.4 trillion on wars and nation-building, Beijing poured resources into dominance, building the world’s largest navy by ship count and expanding its intercontinental missile force to 400 ICBMs, with over 600 nuclear warheads already operational and 1,000+ expected by 2030. With shipbuilding capacity 250 times greater than the U.S., China’s ambitions are clear. 
• WRITINGS LINK NEW ORLEANS ATTACK SUSPECT TO ISIS. Investigators have uncovered writings suggesting the New Orleans terror attack was inspired by ISIS. Reports do not clarify where the writings were found. This evidence, combined with the ISIS flag found on the truck used in the attack, strengthens links to extremist ideology. (pic)
  

• @DC_Draino

• Bourbon street usually has steel beams and barriers to block cars from doing exactly what just happened last night. Why were they not activated on a huge holiday like New Years?
• Well, well, well. Look who donated to Democrats on ActBlue then drove a truck through a crowd in New Orleans with an ISIS flag. (pic)
• FBI elite tactical teams are en route to New Orleans. This battle may not be over. (map)

• @WideAwakeMedia

• CNBC: "Bill Gates is backing the first high-altitude experiment of one radical climate change solution—creating a massive chemical cloud that could cool the Earth." "But it also comes with significant risks and uncertainties: Things like mass famine, mass flooding, drought." What could possibly go wrong?!
• Joe Rogan: "If the media was legitimate, they would be talking about one of the biggest crises that's happening in this country right now, which is a massive increase in all-cause mortality." "They're completely silent on it... Don't you think maybe they would investigate that?" (video)
  

Night Trading 

• Asian equity indices are -.25% to +.25% on average.

• Asia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 80.5 +3.25 basis points.

• China Sovereign CDS 65.5 unch.
  
• China Iron Ore Spot 101.2 USD/Metric Tonne +.23%

• Bloomberg Emerging Markets Currency Index 36.67 -.03%.
• Bloomberg Global Risk-On/Risk Off Index 69.1 +.02%.
• Volatility Index(VIX) futures 17.9 +.2%.
• Euro Stoxx 50 futures n/a.

• S&P 500 futures -.09%.

• NASDAQ 100 futures +.02%.  

Morning Preview Links

BOTTOM LINE: Asian indices are mostly lower, weighed down by technology and consumer shares in the region. I expect US stocks to open mixed and to weaken into the afternoon, finishing modestly lower.  The Portfolio is 50% net long heading into the day.