Monday Watch

Weekend Headlines 
Bloomberg: 

• Netanyahu: More Sanctions Would Get Better Iran Nuke Deal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the U.S. and world powers should increase sanctions on Iran to negotiate a better deal on Tehran’s nuclear program, advice quickly rejected by the White House. Netanyahu used appearances on three U.S. Sunday television talk shows to drive home his opposition to what he called a bad deal with Iran that would leave the Persian Gulf nation able to produce “many nuclear bombs” within years. Unless the agreement is changed, he said, “This deal is a dream deal for Iran and a nightmare deal for the world.”

• Ukrainian Truce Challenged as Car Blasts Kill Government Troops. Six Ukrainian soldiers were killed and two wounded in a pair of car explosions on Sunday after President Petro Poroshenko vowed to push for international peacekeepers to help secure a truce in the rebel-controlled east. “If peacekeepers help to come to a political resolution and reintegration of these occupied territories into Ukraine, we have to go this way,” Poroshenko said in an interview with Channel 5 TV on Saturday, according to a transcript from his office. Foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France may meet soon to discuss details and timing of the proposed peacekeeping mission, he said.

• Russia Said to Plan No Aid to Greece, May Ease Curbs on Food. Russia isn’t considering any financial assistance for Greece as Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras plans to visit Moscow next week, according to three Russian government officials with knowledge of the discussions. Even so, Russia is ready to discuss easing restrictions on Greek food products, which were imposed as as part of the retaliation for European Union sanctions levied over the conflict in Ukraine, said two of the three officials, who asked not to be identified because the information is confidential.

• China Approves 30 New IPOs for April. (video)

• Saudis Raise Crude Oil Pricing to Asia on Signs of Demand Growth. Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude exporter, raised pricing for all May sales to Asia, after the country’s oil minister said global demand was improving. State-owned Saudi Arabian Oil Co. narrowed the discount for its Arab Light grade to Asia to the least since December, setting the crude at a discount of 60 cents a barrel to the regional benchmark, the company said in an e-mailed statement. The May pricing is 30 cents higher than in April. The company known as Saudi Aramco also increased the pricing of the other four grades it ships to Asia.

Wall Street Journal:

• As Tensions With West Rise, Russia Increasingly Rattles Nuclear Saber. Bellicose rhetoric has soared since start of Ukraine conflict to rival Cold War levels. It wasn’t an ordinary Valentine’s Day for the students from across Russia arriving at a military institute outside Moscow. Their date was with a Topol, the intercontinental ballistic missile at the heart of the country’s nuclear arsenal....

• Political Battle Ramps Up Over Iran. President Obama must overcome skeptical Republicans as well as some Democrats in Congress. President Barack Obama’s bet on a diplomatic agreement to deter Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon faces an immediate test at home, where he must overcome the politics of skeptical Republicans as well as some Democrats in Congress. The political struggle—part of the most complex battle of Mr. Obama’s presidency...

• California’s Green Drought. How bad policies are compounding the state’s water shortage.

Fox News:

• Netanyahu urges US to seek better deal with Iran over its nuclear program. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the U.S. to seek a better deal with Iran Sunday over its nuclear program and said that he’s "not trying to kill any deal,” just a “bad deal.” “It could be a historic bad deal because it leaves the preeminent terrorist state of our time a vast nuclear infrastructure,” Netanyahu said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “Thousands of centrifuges will be left, not a singular facility, including underground facilities will be shut down.” Netanyahu added that the deal leaves Iran with “the capacity to produce material for many nuclear bombs.” Netanyahu also warned on ABC’s “This Week” that the deal could “spark a nuclear arms race among the Sunni countries in the middle east.”

CNBC:

• Jobs shocker may show that economy is in real trouble. (video) In the wake of March's tepid jobs creation, it may be time to take a harder look at this soft patch.

Zero Hedge:

• March Payrolls Huge Miss: Only 126,000 Jobs Added, Worst Since December 2013. (graph)

• No Country For Young Workers: Only Americans 55 And Older Found Jobs In March. (graph)

• Americans Not In The Labor Force Soar To Record 93.2 Million As Participation Rate Drops To February 1978 Levels. (graph)

• Dow Futures Close Down 200; S&P Ends Week Negative Year-To-Date.

• What If An Oil Rebound Never Comes?

• Wien's World: Another Billionaire Detached From Society. (graph)

• Ahoy! Oil Tankers Form Four-Mile Line In Persian Gulf As Iran Talks Stoke Supply Glut Fears.

• Here We Go: Goldman Declares That "The Right Policy Would Be To Put Hikes On Hold For Now".

• Europe's Currency Manipulation.

• Is The Stage Set For A High Yield Meltdown? (graph)

• Japan Admits Fabricating 2014 Wage Growth Data. (graph)

• How Liquidity Drives The US Stock Market. (graph)

• German Bank Sets Precedent: Sues The ECB.

• Arming for Riots Across America? Homeland Stockpiling “Less Lethal Specialty Munitions”.

• Meet The New Recession Cycle - It's Triggered By Bursting Bubbles, Not Surging Inflation. (graph)

• Germany Generously Offers To Freeze The Bank Accounts Of Wealthy Greeks.

• Peak Keynesian Faith, Hope, & Insanity. (graph)

• Treasurys Held In Custody At The Fed Jump By Record $63 Billion In One Week. (graph)

• Subprime Nation: Risky Loans Are In The "Driver's" Seat. (graph)

• 5 Things To Ponder: Weather, Recession, Liquidation, Gluts, & Enigmas.

• Bubble Confirmed: From Sock Puppets To Action Heroes.

• Saudi Arabia's Kingdom Tower - The Pointless Hubris Of A Decadent Tyranny. (pic)

• If Anyone Doubts We Are In A Stock Market Bubble, Show Them This. (graph)

• Cypriot President Throws Greeks Under The Bus: "Planning To Deal With Grexit". (graph)

• Facing A Housing Hard-Landing, Chinese Propaganda Goes All-In: "Set Positive Agenda; Boost Market Confidence". (graph)

• Running Out Of Accounting Gimmicks: EPS Addbacks Surge Most Since Lehman. (graph)

• Saudi Stocks Are Plunging Following Rejection Of Russian Embargo Proposal; Death Toll Mounts.

• Here Comes Solyndra 2.0: Obama To Hire 75,000 Solar Workers.

Business Insider:

• 4 reasons Nike's(NKE) business will dominate.

• Russian soldiers have given up pretending they are not fighting in Ukraine.

• China targets the dollar. Now even Israel – joined at the hip to the US though the relationship has run into rough waters – has applied to become a founding member of the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Despite US gyrations to keep them from it, over 40 countries, including bosom buddies Australia, Britain, and Germany, have signed up to join. Japan is still wavering politely.

• Photos of a ruined Iraqi city prove that liberation from ISIS comes at a heavy price.

• Ukraine's 'frozen conflict' has gone on for one year.

• The US and Iran are closer in Iraq than people realize — and things are getting ugly. The Obama administration is no longer hiding the fact that the US is serving as the air force for Iran-backed Shia militias fighting ISIS in Iraq. As Iraq forces connect the US with Iran, the Obama administration is placed squarely on the Shia side of the emerging and increasingly brutal sectarian war.

• Iraqi prime minister: Foreigners are taking over ISIS as the terror army keeps growing.

• The very first human trial of a new approach to cancer treatment has scientists excited.

• 70% of people on anti-depressants aren't clinically depressed.

• 6% of China's newest stock market investors can't read.

• Israeli expert: There are 6 gaping areas of disagreement in the US-Iran nuclear talks.

• AT&T(T) will charge customers to keep their browsing data private.

• Warren Buffett's mobile home empire preys on the poor.

• Former top CIA official: Here's Iran's grand strategy.

• Greek officials reportedly have a plan that would 'cause a furor in the markets'.

• An Iran deal could make the US look weak and embolden rogue regimes.

• ROLLING STONE: 'We would like to apologize to our readers and to all of those who were damaged by our story'.

Reuters:

• Japan's wary manufacturers resist Abe's urge to splurge. Even as output recovers, Japanese companies remain cautious about new capital investment in factories and equipment. The trend is especially pronounced for smaller firms down the supply chain.

Financial Times:

• Frustrated officials want Greek premier to ditch Syriza far left. Eurozone authorities’ frustration with Greece has grown so intense that a change in the current Athens government’s make-up, however far-fetched, has become a frequent topic of conversation on the sidelines of bailout talks. Many officials — up to and including some eurozone finance ministers — have suggested privately that only a decision by Alexis Tsipras, Greek prime minister, to jettison the far left of his governing Syriza party can make a bailout agreement possible.

Night Trading

• Asian indices are -,25% to +.50% on average.

• Asia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 110.0 -.5 basis point.

• Asia Pacific Sovereign CDS Index 58.50 -1.0 basis point.

• S&P 500 futures -.68%.

• NASDAQ 100 futures -.66%.

Morning Preview Links

Earnings of Note
Company/Estimate

• (SHLM)/.39

Economic Releases
9:45 am EST

• The Final Markit US Services PMI for March is estimated at 58.6 versus a prior estimate of 58.6.

10:00 am EST

• The ISM Non-Manufacturing Composite for March is estimated to fall to 56.5 versus 56.9 in February.

Upcoming Splits

• (SBUX) 2-for-1

Other Potential Market Movers

• The RBA rate decision, Labor Market Conditions Index for March and Medicare Advantage rate announcements could also impact trading today.

BOTTOM LINE: Asian indices are mostly higher, boosted by consumer and technology shares in the region. I expect US stocks to open lower and to maintain losses into the afternoon. The Portfolio is 50% net long heading into the week.

Weekly Outlook

Wall St. Week Ahead by Reuters.
Weekly Economic Calendar by Briefing.com.

BOTTOM LINE: I expect US stocks to finish the week modestly lower on Fed rate hike worries, global growth fears, European/Emerging Markets/US High-Yield debt angst, technical selling, yen strength and earnings concerns. My intermediate-term trading indicators are giving neutral signals and the Portfolio is 50% net long heading into the week.

Market Week in Review

• S&P 500 2,066.96 +.53%*

The Weekly Wrap by Briefing.com.

*5-Day Change

Weekly Scoreboard*

Indices

• S&P 500 2,066.96 +.53%

• DJIA 17,763.24 +.48%

• NASDAQ 4,886.94 +.49%

• Russell 2000 1,255.66 +1.92%

• S&P 500 High Beta 34.40 +.88% 

• Goldman 50 Most Shorted 135.22 +1.71% 

• Wilshire 5000 21,705.61 +.74%

• Russell 1000 Growth 993.68 +.51%

• Russell 1000 Value 1,014.86 +.77%

• S&P 500 Consumer Staples 504.81 +1.32%

• Solactive US Cyclical 136.91 +.53%

• Morgan Stanley Technology 1,000.73 -.12%

• Transports 8,605.31 -.84%

• Utilities 589.87 +2.27%

• Bloomberg European Bank/Financial Services 118.17 +1.68%

• MSCI Emerging Markets 40.89 +3.39%

• HFRX Equity Hedge 1,207.92 -.32%

• HFRX Equity Market Neutral 1,003.0 +.22%

Sentiment/Internals

• NYSE Cumulative A/D Line 238,752 +1.04%

• Bloomberg New Highs-Lows Index -43 +169

• Bloomberg Crude Oil % Bulls 51.43% +105.72%

• CFTC Oil Net Speculative Position 206,887 n/a

• CFTC Oil Total Open Interest 1,748,067 n/a

• Total Put/Call 1.12 +15.46%

• OEX Put/Call .27 -18.18%

• ISE Sentiment 68.0 +3.03%

• NYSE Arms .52 -58.40%

• Volatility(VIX) 14.67 -7.15%

• S&P 500 Implied Correlation 64.15 +.69%

• G7 Currency Volatility (VXY) 10.85 +3.03%

• Emerging Markets Currency Volatility (EM-VXY) 10.24 -3.13%

• Smart Money Flow Index 17,682.13 +.42%

• ICI Money Mkt Mutual Fund Assets $2.634 Trillion-1.76%

• ICI US Equity Weekly Net New Cash Flow -$4.464 Billion

• AAII % Bulls 35.4 -7.9%

• AAII % Bears 32.0 +31.1%

Futures Spot Prices

• CRB Index 216.09 -1.54%

• Crude Oil 49.14 -3.65%

• Reformulated Gasoline 176.13 -5.73%

• Natural Gas 2.71 +1.61%

• Heating Oil 168.80 -2.62%

• Gold 1,200.90 -.22%

• Bloomberg Base Metals Index 170.81 -2.43%

• Copper 273.40 -2.69%

• US No. 1 Heavy Melt Scrap Steel 226.67 USD/Ton unch.

• China Iron Ore Spot 47.08 USD/Ton -11.4%

• Lumber 276.60 -3.25%

• UBS-Bloomberg Agriculture 1,138.38 +1.80%

Economy

• ECRI Weekly Leading Economic Index Growth Rate -2.5% +70 basis points

• Philly Fed ADS Real-Time Business Conditions Index .0693 n/a

• S&P 500 Blended Forward 12 Months Mean EPS Estimate 123.0 +.08%

• Citi US Economic Surprise Index -47.3 +15.6 points

• Citi Eurozone Economic Surprise Index 63.10 +10.0 points

• Citi Emerging Markets Economic Surprise Index 4.90 +6.3 points

• Fed Fund Futures imply 50.0% chance of no change, 50.0% chance of 25 basis point cut on 4/29

• US Dollar Index 97.57 +.21%

• Euro/Yen Carry Return Index 135.91 +.27%

• Yield Curve 137.0 unch.

• 10-Year US Treasury Yield 1.91% -5.0 basis points

• Federal Reserve's Balance Sheet $4.444 Trillion +.04%

• U.S. Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 16.61 +1.69%

• Illinois Municipal Debt Credit Default Swap 179.0 -.75%

• Western Europe Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap Index 22.57 -1.48%

• Asia Pacific Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap Index 58.68 -4.30%
  

• Emerging Markets Sovereign Debt CDS Index 337.39 -1.76%
  

• Israel Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 75.26 -1.16%

• Iraq Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 351.67 -1.56%

• Russia Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 337.15 -8.46%

• iBoxx Offshore RMB China Corporates High Yield Index 114.58 +.35%

• 10-Year TIPS Spread 1.81% +3.0 basis points

• TED Spread 26.0 +1.75 basis points

• 2-Year Swap Spread 25.5 +1.25 basis points

• 3-Month EUR/USD Cross-Currency Basis Swap -23.25 +.75 basis point

• N. America Investment Grade Credit Default Swap Index 62.57 -2.96%

• America Energy Sector High-Yield Credit Default Swap Index 1,092.0 +7.44%

• European Financial Sector Credit Default Swap Index 68.55 +2.18%
  

• Emerging Markets Credit Default Swap Index 311.21 -2.0%
  

• CMBS AAA Super Senior 10-Year Treasury Spread  to Swaps 90.0 unch.

• M1 Money Supply $2.979 Trillion +.16%

• Commercial Paper Outstanding 1,010.60 -2.10%

• 4-Week Moving Average of Jobless Claims 285,500 -11,500

• Continuing Claims Unemployment Rate 1.7% -10 basis points

• Average 30-Year Mortgage Rate 3.70% +1.0 basis point

• Weekly Mortgage Applications 457.0 +4.55%

• Bloomberg Consumer Comfort 46.2 +.7 point

• Weekly Retail Sales +2.80% +10 basis points

• Nationwide Gas $2.40/gallon -.03/gallon

• Baltic Dry Index 596.0 -.33%

• China (Export) Containerized Freight Index 994.83 -1.54%

• Oil Tanker Rate(Arabian Gulf to U.S. Gulf Coast) 27.50 unch.

• Rail Freight Carloads 278,345 +.18%

Best Performing Style

• Small-Cap Growth +2.0%

Worst Performing Style

• Large-Cap Growth +.5%

Leading Sectors

• Homebuilders +5.6%

• Foods +3.2%

• Utilities +2.3%

• Oil Tankers +2.2%

• Tobacco +2.1%

Lagging Sectors

• Restaurants -.6% 

• Gold & Silver -.6%

• Road & Rail -.7%

• Steel -.8%

• Airlines -2.1%

Weekly High-Volume Stock Gainers (21)

• ICEL, DYAX, ASPX, MOV, OXM, ALTR, CTRX, ROLL, LEVY, HIFR, NCFT, OLN, FRPT, CAG, CONN, GTN, HRS, SCAI, ENVA, KRFT and HPTX

Weekly High-Volume Stock Losers (7)

• MYL, SNX, CJES, WWE, NATH, BDSI and OVAS

Weekly Charts
ETFs

• High-Volume Gainers

• High-Volume Losers

Stocks

• High-Volume Gainers

• High-Volume Losers

*5-Day Change

Stocks Higher into Final Hour on Less Emerging Markets Debt Angst, Euro Bounce, Short-Covering, Gaming/Homebuilding Sector Strength

Broad Equity Market Tone:

• Advance/Decline Line: Modestly Higher
  

• Sector Performance: Most Sectors Rising
  

• Volume: Below Average

• Market Leading Stocks: Performing In Line

Equity Investor Angst:

• Volatility(VIX) 14.59 -3.44%

• Euro/Yen Carry Return Index 136.22 +1.18%

• Emerging Markets Currency Volatility(VXY) 10.22 -1.06%

• S&P 500 Implied Correlation 64.36 -1.27%

• ISE Sentiment Index 70.0 -32.04%

• Total Put/Call 1.15 +3.60%

• NYSE Arms .52 -46.73% 

Credit Investor Angst:

• North American Investment Grade CDS Index 62.33 -1.40%

• America Energy Sector High-Yield CDS Index 1,093.0 +2.08%

• European Financial Sector CDS Index 68.33 +1.54%

• Western Europe Sovereign Debt CDS Index 22.56 +2.15%

• Asia Pacific Sovereign Debt CDS Index 59.58 -.35%

• Emerging Market CDS Index 311.33 -.92%
  

• iBoxx Offshore RMB China Corporates High Yield Index 114.58 +.02%

• 2-Year Swap Spread 26.25 +.75 basis point

• TED Spread 25.0 -.25 basis point

• 3-Month EUR/USD Cross-Currency Basis Swap -23.25 +1.0 basis point

Economic Gauges:

• 3-Month T-Bill Yield .01% unch.

• Yield Curve 137.0 +4.0 basis points

• China Import Iron Ore Spot $47.08/Metric Tonne -4.95%

• Citi US Economic Surprise Index -47.3 +15.2 points

• Citi Eurozone Economic Surprise Index 63.10 +.6 point

• Citi Emerging Markets Economic Surprise Index 4.9 +1.6 points

• 10-Year TIPS Spread 1.81 unch.

Overseas Futures:

• Nikkei Futures: Indicating +72 open in Japan

• DAX Futures: Indicating +12 open in Germany

Portfolio: 

• Slightly Higher: On gains in my medical/retail sector longs

• Disclosed Trades: Covered some of my (IWM)/(QQQ) hedges, then added them back

• Market Exposure: 50% Net Long

Today's Headlines

Bloomberg:

• Iran Negotiators Reach Outline Nuclear Deal After Marathon Talks. Iran and world powers said they reached an outline accord that keeps them on track to end a decade-long nuclear dispute, allowing three more months to resolve differences that couldn’t be bridged in the past week’s diplomatic marathon. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Twitter that solutions to the nuclear issue had been found and the process of drafting an accord can begin. Germany’s Foreign Ministry also said on Twitter that a framework solution has been reached. 

• Dijsselbloem Says ‘Still Long Way’ to Go on Greek Proposals. Eurogroup Chairman Jeroen Dijsselbloem said there’s a “long way to go” to strike a deal on Greece’s aid proposals even after the Athens government responded to demands for more detail on its bid to end the deadlock. “It’s continuously improving,” Dijsselbloem told reporters today in the Hague. “They deliver more and more proposals that are more and more detailed. On some parts, we will definitely reach an agreement.”

• Sanctions-Strapped Russia Outguns the U.S. in Information War. Moscow drowns out Voice of America, and facts are a casualty. The troubled U.S. agency responsible for delivering news around the world is being outgunned in Eastern Europe by Russian outlets unrestrained by notions of fact-based journalism. The unequal competition raises fears among U.S. officials that Moscow is winning the information war about events in Ukraine, even as the Russian economy staggers under economic sanctions imposed after the takeover of Crimea. “Russia has engaged in a rather remarkable period of the most overt and extensive propaganda exercise that I’ve seen since the very height of the Cold War,” Secretary of State John Kerry told a Senate subcommittee in late February. It’s “spending hugely on this vast propaganda machine,” he told another panel the same day, and it’s succeeding “because there’s nothing countering it.”

• Japan bubble alert found in drug stock rally that won't quit. This year's Japanese stock rally has a surprise leader: pharmaceutical companies, which tend to lag behind the market when it gains. Drugmakers soared 22 percent, the most among the 33 industry groups on the benchmark Topix index, compared with a 10 percent gain for the Topix itself. The Topix Pharmaceutical Index climbed to its highest on record on March 24, and earnings multiples are about twice the market average. The Topix has beaten pharmaceutical shares in 12 of the past 17 years it rose. "Valuations are ridiculous, and foreign investors are scratching their heads," said Richard Whittall, a fund manager at Alltus Capital (U.K.) in Singapore who's watched Japanese stocks for 25 years. "You've seen these underowned areas of the market just go up, up and up. Japanese institutions like buying these stocks. They feel safe." 

• European Stocks Retreat, Paring Weekly Advance as Miners Decline. European stocks slipped, paring a weekly gain, as miners and energy companies retreated. A gauge of commodity producers posted the biggest decline of the 19 industry groups on the Stoxx Europe 600 Index as Societe Generale SA said iron ore prices may extend losses. BHP Billiton Ltd. slid 2.6 percent. Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Total SA contributed the most to a drop in energy stocks, as oil prices fell. The Stoxx 600 declined 0.2 percent to 397.8 at the close of trading, paring its weekly gain to 0.6 percent.

• Iron Ore Seen Extending Slump Below $50 as BHP, Rio Decline. (video) Iron ore, which fell below $50 a metric ton on Wednesday, may extend losses as weakening producer currencies cut mining costs, reducing incentives for the supply cuts needed to balance the market, according to Societe Generale SA. Lower energy prices have lessened freight expenses and the inability of many high-cost Chinese miners to cut output means that iron ore will stay weak, Mark Keenan, Singapore-based head of commodities research for Asia, said on Thursday. The steel-making raw material will probably drop into the low $40s a ton in the coming weeks, IG Markets Ltd. said in an e-mailed note.

• Industrial Stocks Near Trend Break as Low U.S. Rates End Rallies. (graph) An exchange-traded fund of industrial stocks is nearing a technical support level as interest rates fall, signaling the ETF’s underperformance could continue. The Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund has lagged behind the SPDR Standard & Poor’s 500 ETF by 3 percentage points since Nov. 25 as this stock price ratio has decreased each month this year. During the same time, the yield on 10-year Treasuries has fallen to 1.86 percent from 2.26 percent -- see chart.

• KKR-Backed Energy Hedge Fund Said to Triple Loss Amid Audit. BlackGold Capital Management, the energy-focused hedge fund partly owned by KKR & Co., told investors that losses amid the oil slump in December were almost triple its initial report after an auditor examined how it valued debt holdings, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. The $2 billion investment firm revised the loss to 17 percent last month from the 6 percent decline it previously reported, according to the people, who asked not to be identified as the information is private. The Houston-based fund cited difficulty in valuing some energy bonds at the height of the market’s turmoil, they said.

• Thanks to Obama, the New World of Campaign Finance Is Unlimited and Undisclosed. Potential presidential candidates this year–including Bush–are using outside groups to pay for traditional functions of an early campaign or political committee, including communications, policy development, and research.  Unlike a presidential campaign or the committees that politicians are supposed to use while they consider running for the White House, these groups have no legal limits on contributions, which worries watchdogs.

Wall Street Journal:

• Iran Nuclear Talks: Streaming Coverage.

• 5 Things to Watch in the March Jobs Report.

MarketWatch.com: 

• Orders for oil equipment plunge in February. 

Fox News: 

• More than 70 dead in Al-Shabaab attack on Kenyan college, as Christians reportedly held hostage. (video) More than 70 people have been killed in an attack Thursday by Al Qaeda-linked terror group Al-Shabaab on a Kenyan college, Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery said.  Al-Shabaab says they are "holding many Christians alive" after claiming responsibility for the attack at Garissa University that left dozens more injured and hundreds of students unaccounted for.

• Two women arrested in alleged terrorist bomb plot targeting New York. (video) Two women suspected of being terrorist sympathizers were arrested Thursday for allegedly plotting to detonate pressure cooker bombs in New York, Fox News has learned. An FBI spokesperson confirmed the arrests, but circumstances surrounding the arrests or the alleged plot were not immediately clear. NYPD Deputy Commissioner John Miller said the arrests were part of a local and federal investigation.

ZeroHedge:

• Chart Of The Day: Is The US Already In A Recession?

• More Unofficial Capital Controls In The US: PFIC Rules.

• Chaos In Yemen: Chinese Troops Arrive As US-Armed Rebels Set Sights On Central Bank.

• Martin Armstrong: "Hillary Commits A Crime And They Defend Her". (video)

• Greece Faces D-Day On April 9, Will Default Within 30 Days Of Missed Payment, BofAML Says. (graph)

• The "Revolver Raid" Arrives: A Wave Of Shale Bankruptcies Has Just Been Unleashed.

• The U.S. Economy Slows To Stall Speed. (graph)

• US Imports Collapse Most Since Lehman. (graph)

• Initial Claims Slide Again; Trade Deficit Lowest Since 2009 Despite Soaring Dollar On Imports Plunge. (graph)

• Dear Texas, Welcome To The Recession. (graph)

Business Insider:

• Crude oil is tumbling. (graph)

• OPEC oil export revenues are down 11% from 2013.

Financial Times: 

• Emerging markets: The great unravelling. Developing economies are suffering their biggest capital outflows since the financial crisis.

Telegraph:

• Greek defiance mounts as Alexis Tsipras turns to Russia and China. Alexis Tspiras is playing an escalating game of brinkmanship, trying to force Europe to give ground or risk a chain-reaction that could cripple the EU. 

• Eurozone growth forecasts are too optimistic, ECB officials warn. As the European Central Bank has revised up its forecasts for growth and inflation, some members of its governing council have warned that its assessment may be too optimistic.