Today's Headlines

Around X:

• @IGSquawk 

• Weekend markets update: #DAX 23574 -0.28% #DOW 47362 -0.15% #NASDAQ 24606 -0.12% #FTSE 10315 -0.04% #HANGSENG 25324 -0.05% #EURUSD 11631 +0.12% #GOLD 5191 +0.39% #SILVER 8483 +0.39% #USOIL 9198 +2.78%.

• @BarronsOnline

• Had bullish commentary on (LNG), (NEXT), (VG) and (CDRE).

• @MarioNawfal

• Iran blew up an AWS data center this morning with a Shahed drone and honestly the geopolitical implications are insane. Every country building AI infrastructure in a conflict zone now has to ask: do we need Patriot missiles protecting our server farms? This is the first time a military deliberately targeted commercial cloud infrastructure. That's a new chapter in how wars get fought.
• Two kamikaze drones reportedly struck a U.S. company at the Burjesia oil complex in Basra, Iraq. A third hit the Rumaila oil field where BP operates. Iran's proxies are now going after oil infrastructure. Brent crude is already above $90... (video) 
• Academic study just confirmed: Desalination plants are already being hit, and it's only a matter of time before one goes down completely. The numbers are terrifying: * 8 of the world's 10 largest desalination plants are in the Arabian Peninsula. * The region has 60% of global desalination capacity. * 100 million people depend on them. * Without them, "almost nobody would be able to live in Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE; or much of Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh". 

• @GenFlynn

• USAID is a crime Scene: USAID was (is) a crime spree and everyone involved knows it. There were crimes committed on behalf of some in the USG going back decades. Until people are held accountable, all funding globally must end. Those responsible should NOT be fired, they should have clearances suspended or revoked, they should be sent home with no pay and fully investigated (this is for the USG employees). For those contracted personnel and companies, they should be thoroughly investigated, all should be immediately suspended from any government work (make sure they didn’t change their names), investigated and if guilty of fraud or misuse of USG funds (U.S. taxpayer dollars), they should all be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. War or no war. The justice department budget is close to $30B (yes, that’s a B!). Until people are held accountable for these deep state crimes, the frustration levels will rise. People must go to jail over this subversion of our good faith efforts the American people expected but did not receive. Instead we got RIPPED OFF!!!

• @natalimorris

• The Trump administration launches the Patriot Act 2.0. "We will unveil and embarrass online espionage, destructive propaganda and influence operations, and cultural subversion." When the government starts defining threats by “propaganda,” “influence,” and “cultural subversion,” it is not just targeting hackers. It is targeting narratives. (pic)

• @EricLDaugh

• BREAKING: Rep. Nancy Maces floats "freezing" every piece of legislation in the Senate until the SAVE America Act is passed. "We should freeze all senate bills until Thune passes the SAVE Act." Members of the House GOP are growing impatient. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna floated attaching SAVE America Act to FISA. Either way, JUST GET IT DONE, PLEASE!

• @NoLimitGains

• IRAN JUST MADE A MOVE THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING: Iran’s president just said neighboring countries will no longer be attacked. Sounds like de-escalation. It’s not. It’s actually the opposite. Most people are going to completely misread this. Here’s what’s really happening: “Unless an attack on Iran is launched from their territory.” The U.S. is literally launching strikes on Iran FROM those countries right now. Al Udeid in Qatar. Al Dhafra in the UAE. Ali Al Salem in Kuwait. Bases in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman. That’s where American bombers, fighters, and drones are flying from. Iran isn’t saying “we’ll stop.” They’re saying “tell America to leave or we keep hitting you.” This is a pressure play on the Gulf states.
• A VERY DANGEROUS CLAIM IS CIRCULATING RIGHT NOW: Before you believe it, you need to read the full breakdown below. Reports are circulating that the U.S. struck a freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island in Iran. Iran’s Foreign Minister is warning of “consequences.” There is NO verified proof this happened. – No satellite imagery. – No confirmation from the Pentagon or CENTCOM. – No independent verification from any major outlet. The source is Iranian state-affiliated media. That doesn’t mean it’s fake, but it doesn’t mean it’s confirmed either. Now here’s where it gets important...

• @RenzTom

• I mean no disrespect when I ask this but is this a serious question? Election fraud is real and used by both parties. Why do you think people like Mitch McConnell or Cornyn win their primaries when their GOP base hate them? Election fraud isn’t only about Dems stealing elections, it’s also about the uniparty maintaining control while trying to convince us that there are two distinct parties.

• @seanmdav

• 10 Times John Cornyn Betrayed Trump And MAGA. (video)

• @sungleeiq

• AN IRANIAN DRONE JUST HIT A RESIDENTIAL TOWER IN DUBAI MARINA. THIS IS NOT A MILITARY TARGET. While Iran's President was telling the world "we won't attack neighbors" — a drone just slammed into a CIVILIAN TOWER in Dubai Marina. Let that sink in. (video)
• Nobody is telling you how screwed the data center situation actually is right now. Every major tech company on earth just spent BILLIONS building AI data centers in the Gulf. Microsoft. Google. Amazon. Oracle. All of them. Sitting right there. In the middle of a warzone. Here's what you need to understand: 

• @Chicago1Ray

• Do you want Majority @LeaderJohnThune to resign?!?!? He's passed only (38) bills... the lowest in modern history. He allowed a vote in (2) days on a (WPR) but hasn't brought the Save America Act to the floor. His body language says he's way over his head He's not cut out for this. (video)

• @1776General_

• Trump: We'll bring in any Iranian refugees that aid the U.S Military! Trump complained about the Afghan INVADERS and now is doing the same thing. This is how we got invaded with people from the Middle East. (video)

• @illuminatibot

• NEW EPSTEIN FILES REVEAL THAT JEFFREY EPSTEIN SAID HE WAS HELPING ISIS THROUGH US-ISRAELI PROXIES. (pic)

• @MonitorX99800  

• Direct impact in Dubai International Airport. (video)

• @jayplemons

• Rep. Chip Roy predicts exactly how the SAVE Act is going to fail. • Leader Thune puts it on the Senate floor. • Manages amendments for ~2 weeks. • Amendments offered & debated. • No major Democrat shift. • Cloture vote fails. • Bill dies. The only chance for this to pass is with a talking filibuster (like they do every year on the budget). (video)

• @liz_churchill10

• Child Traffickers were in charge of all ‘Science’… Robert Maxwell headed the Scientific Journal System that controlled ‘Science’ for decades. Bill Gates invested $10M in ResearchGate…that has 25 MILLION members. Epstein and Gates decided what research got amplified… (video)

• @LoneStar_PAC

• John Cornyn compared January 6 to 9/11, and called attendees "white supremacists, domestic terrorists, insurrectionists, rioters, seditionists, anarchists." He then asked then-FBI Director Chris Wray if a new law was needed to charge attendees with "domestic terrorism." (video)

• @nedryun

• Katie Britt, yet another miserable waste of a red state Senator. . . She should be primaried next time. We need rockstar conservatives from deep red states like Alabama, not low IQ milquetoast establishment types. (video)

• @barchart

• The World reached highest level of uncertainty in history this year, surpassing Covid, the Global Financial Crisis, and the Dot Com Bubble. (graph)

• @KobeissiLetter

• BREAKING: Kuwait officially confirms it has cut oil production today. Prior to the war, Kuwait was producing nearly 2.8 MILLION barrels of oil per day.
• Asia is the most dependent region on oil and natural gas flows from the Middle East: ~90% of all crude oil transiting the Strait of Hormuz is destined for Asia.. And, ~82% of LNG exports from Qatar and the UAE flow to Asian buyers. China alone receives 38% of all oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz, followed by India at 15%, South Korea at 12%, and Japan at 11%. Furthermore, for Japan and South Korea, over 60% of their total oil imports are transported via Hormuz, making them the most vulnerable to supply disruptions. For Asia, the Strait of Hormuz is an energy lifeline. 
• The market has never experienced anything like this: The S&P 500's trading range in the first 41 trading days of 2026 is just 2.7%, the narrowest for this period on record, going back to 1928. This is also tighter than any Dow Jones trading range since 1896. By comparison, during the 2008 Financial Crisis, the index traded within a ~35% range, ~1,200% wider than the current level. The 2020 pandemic saw a range of ~15%, or ~450% wider. Even the calmest periods in the 1950s, 1960s, and before the Financial Crisis saw higher volatility than today. The market remains extremely subdued despite elevated volatility beneath the surface. (graph) 

• @nypost

• Prison guard googled Jeffrey Epstein minutes before his body was found - and deposited thousands days before pedophile's suicide: DOJ.

• @Worldsource24

• BREAKING: After more than 60 hours of complete power outages, widespread frustration has boiled over in Havana. Nighttime demonstrations have broken out in the Cuban capital, with residents voicing their anger against the communist government. Reports indicate that protests are now spreading through multiple neighborhoods across the city. (video)

• @Olivia_Reingold

• I found 70+ posts liked by Rama Duwaji, Zohran Mamdani's wife, of radical anti-Israel content—and even Holocaust inversion. (video)

• @WatcherGuru

• JUST IN: White House official says the US will seize "all the oil" from Iran. (video)

• @pati_marins64

• The United States has handed the Chinese an encyclopedia on its military doctrines. The war involving the US and Israel is being monitored and recorded in real time by LEO satellite constellations such as Jilin-1, which are even capable of capturing 4K UHD video. Today, China operates at least three LEO constellations comprising at least 300 satellites dedicated to espionage or dual-use purposes. From the images constantly released about American bases, it is clear that the Chinese are building a true encyclopedia on U.S. naval and air doctrines. Every ship positioning, fiend tactics, refueling time, ammunition resupply, everything is being monitored by Chinese satellites. This includes the exact location and behavior of air defenses, their mapped reaction times, missile trajectories, and reprogramming durations.

• @TrendSpider

• $SPY S&P REBALANCING... (list)

• @mboyle1

• Based off what’s come out on him the past 3 days since the primary, it looks like it’s actually CORNYN who has so much unvetted “baggage” not PAXTON. In just past 3 days, we’ve seen: — Video evidence of John Cornyn defending Jack Smith weaponization against President Trump in documents case — Proof that Cornyn is harboring Russia Hoax perpetrators on his campaign — Deeper dives on Cornyn’s amnesty and gun control record in the Senate. — Pure demonstrable evidence that Cornyn does not seriously want the SAVE AMERICA ACT to pass since he won’t do what’s necessary to get it through the senate. What else is John Cornyn hiding? Where is the rest of the baggage? What other shocks and surprises are in store that could derail him in a general election if he were the nominee? Are Republicans willing to roll the dice here?

• @OANN

• Fires broke out in offices and warehouses belonging to U.S. firms Halliburton and KBR after a drone attack in Iraq's Basra.  (video)
• “I don’t think it was an accident that Epstein was given the State Department property—the five-story mansion in New York City that was seized from Iran… I don’t think it was an accident Jeffrey Epstein was handling Adnan Khashoggi’s money while Adnan Khashoggi was the CIA middleman between the U.S. and Israel during Iran-Contra.” Foundation for Freedom Online Executive Director @MikeBenzCyber breaks down Jeffrey Epstein’s connection to the CIA—suggesting that he operated as a logistics hub for intelligence services. (video) 

• @sayerjigmi

• Part 13 of my investigative series reveals just how closely Epstein and the Gates foundation worked together sharing military grade intelligence on vaccine and biological surveillance programs in Pakistan: (video)
• Epstein Files bombshell: Jeffrey Epstein ran a 6-year private backchannel directing Gates Foundation polio strategy in Taliban zones—committing funds, routing military-grade intel, and architecting anonymity. Emails debate paying "the bad guys" for vaccine access. Full investigation: (video)
• BREAKING: Email Describes $100M/Year Proposal to Epstein Attributed to Bill Gates. In May 2013, Boris Nikolic — Bill Gates's science advisor — sent Jeffrey Epstein this message: "Bill is anxiously awaiting your answer." The offer on the table: $100 million per year. For 30% of Epstein's time. This is in the documents. Here's what they show — and what they don't. (thread)

• @OcrazioCornPop

• HOMELAND: Trump's new pick for Secretary of Homeland recently voted to ALLOW "Refugee" Welfare Programs to continue to be funded at Biden-era levels. Mullin also comforted & HUGGED the cop who shot Ashli Babbitt: "He was distraught. I gave him a hug & said 'you did what you had to do.'" He also claimed Republican Senators were too "emotional" over Jan 6 to confirm Trump's pick Ed Martin for DC Prosecutor. WOULD @SenMullin ALLOW BORDER PATROL AGENTS TO OPEN FIRE ON ILLEGAL ALIENS TOLD TO STOP AT THE BORDER IF THEY DID NOT COMPLY? (video)

• @mtaibbi

• EXCLUSIVE: The FBI has been keeping a separate set of books in the form of secret “prohibited access” files for a generation, and the Bureau has finally begun to disclose them: (link)

• @TFTC21

• Over 450,000 Americans now have alpha-gal syndrome. They're allergic to red meat for the rest of their lives. The lone star tick causes it. The same tick the U.S. military released 282,800 of across Virginia in the 1960s, made radioactive with Carbon-14. Before those experiments, lone star ticks didn't exist above the Mason-Dixon Line. Now they're in 30+ states and spreading north every year. The CDC didn't even recognize alpha-gal as a diagnosis until 2009. Most doctors still miss it. Patients get told it's anxiety or IBS for years before someone thinks to test for it. A government program bred weaponized ticks. Those ticks now cause a mysterious meat allergy that didn't exist before. And no one in Washington will connect the dots publicly.

• @WallStreetApes

• Somehow John Cornyn is narrowly leading Ken Paxton in the GOP Senate Race in Texas. Texas needs to vote for Ken Paxton for America First. Charlie Kirk warned us about John Cornyn. “He doesn't care about you. He doesn't care about his voters. Any decent person that gets booed by their voters — would stop and say, maybe I'm heading in the wrong direction, and they'd back off. Instead, John Cornyn gets in front of the entire Texas Republican Convention and gets booed, and then he goes back to D.C and says, I'm gonna show those people. I'm gonna show the deplorables I'm in charge.” (video)

• @amuse

• TEXAS SENATE RACE: John Cornyn's campaign manager hates President Trump and Texas Republicans. He called Trump a scam artist... Why would the Senator hire someone like Matt 'Venmo' Mackowiak to run his campaign? Does Trump know how much Cornyn and his team hate him and his family?

• @GeneralMCNews

• BREAKING: Israel has started a large bombing campaign on Iranian oil infrastructure, the first such attacks on state infrastructure since the start of the war.

• @BreannaMorello

• Ever wondered how TSA was allowing illegal aliens to board commercial flights without IDs under the Biden regime? Well I sued TSA to find out and learned that Biden’s DHS allowed CONVICTED sex offenders on to flights by showing their sex offender paperwork. Predators were allowed into the country if they promised to take sexual deviancy counseling and register as a sex offender. After suing TSA, I won and now the agency is covering my legal fees. Currently, TSA says they can’t pay my lawyer right now due to the shut down. (pic)

OpenVAERS:  

• VAERS US COVID Vaccine Adverse Event Reports. 1,031,875 Reports(+713 from prior report) Through January 2nd, 2026.

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.

Weekly Scoreboard*

S&P 500 6,758.6 -1.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weekly Market Wrap by Edward Jones.

Indices

• DJIA 47,505.5 -3.0%

• NASDAQ 22,493.7 -.6%

• Russell 2000 2,535.3 -3.8%

• NYSE FANG+ 14,980.5 +3.7%

• Goldman 50 Most Shorted 258.8 +3.4%
• Vaneck Social Sentiment 31.2 +1.5%

• Wilshire 5000 66,743.9 -1.8%

• Russell 1000 Growth 4,521.8 -.3%

• Russell 1000 Value 2,140.9 -3.5%

• S&P 500 Consumer Staples 952.1 -5.0%

• Bloomberg Cyclicals/Defensives Index(Ex Telecom) 247.6 +.5%
  

• NYSE Technology 7,086.0 unch.

• Transports 18,427.9 -6.4%

• Utilities 1,171.9 -1.5%

• MSCI Europe Banks 112.8 -6.7%
  

• MSCI Emerging Markets 57.6 -7.5%

• Credit Suisse AllHedge Long/Short Equity Index 257.8 +.9%

• Credit Suisse AllHedge Equity Market Neutral Index 134.0 +.3%

Sentiment/Internals

• NYSE Cumulative A/D Line 607,071 -.7%
• Nasdaq/NYSE Volume Ratio 10.8 -2.2%

• Bloomberg New Highs-Lows Index -9 -801

• Crude Oil Commercial Bullish % Net Position -20.8 -18.5%

• CFTC Oil Net Speculative Position 172,712 +22.2%

• CFTC Oil Total Open Interest 2,102,705 +.7%

• Total Put/Call .92+11.8%

• OEX Put/Call .37 +9.2%

• ISE Sentiment 130.0 +8.8%

• NYSE Arms .69 -25.6%
  
• Bloomberg Global Risk-On/Risk-Off Index 97.1 -1.0%
• Bloomberg US Financial Conditions Index .38 -23.0 basis points
• Bloomberg European Financial Conditions Index 1.25 -27.0 basis points

• Volatility(VIX) 26.7 +30.7%
• S&P 500 Intraday % Swing .92 +22.9%

• CBOE S&P 500 3M Implied Correlation Index 21.0 +40.7%

• G7 Currency Volatility (VXY) 8.33 +12.1%
  

• Emerging Markets Currency Volatility (EM-VXY) 8.66 +24.6%

• Smart Money Flow Index 20,532.6 +3.6%
• NAAIM Exposure Index  79.3 +4.4

• ICI Money Mkt Mutual Fund Assets $7.817 Trillion +.3%

• ICI Domestic Equity Long-Term Mutual Fund/ETFs Weekly Flows -$5.743 Million

• AAII % Bulls 33.1 -.3%

• AAII % Bears 35.5 -10.8%
• CNN Fear & Greed Index 28.0 (FEAR) -14.0

Futures Spot Prices

• CRB Index 336.9 +8.7%

• Crude Oil 91.3/bbl. +34.6%

• Reformulated Gasoline 275.5 +18.1%

• Natural Gas 3.19 +11.9%
• US Power PJM Western Hub Peak Forward Y1 72.8 USD/Megawatt +4.2% 
• Dutch TTF Nat Gas(European benchmark) 53.4 euros/megawatt-hour +67.4%
  

• Heating Oil 362.4 +37.8% 
• Newcastle Coal 137.0 (1,000/metric ton) +17.6%

• Gold 5,166.2 -2.4%
• Silver 84.5 -10.3%
  

• Bloomberg Industrial Metals Index 172.2 +.4%

• Copper 582.4 -3.3%

• US No. 1 Heavy Melt Scrap Steel 378.0 USD/Metric Tonne +.5%

• China Iron Ore Spot 102.3 USD/Metric Tonne +3.1%
• China Battery Grade Lithium Carbonate 23,625.0 USD/metric tonne +11.1%

• CME Lumber 585.0 +4.8%

• UBS-Bloomberg Agriculture 1,342.8 +3.2%
• US Gulf NOLA Potash Spot 300.0 USD/Short Ton unch.

Economy

• Atlanta Fed GDPNow Q1 Forecast +3.0% -.1 percentage point

• US Recession Within 6 Months Probability(3M/18M Forward Yld Curve Spread) 27.6 -3.3 percentage points

• NY Fed Real-Time Weekly Economic Index 2.48 -5.0%
• Caldara Iacoviello Geopolitical Risk Index 597.5 +299.8% 

• US Economic Policy Uncertainty Index 552.8 +276.0%
• Bloomberg Global Trade Policy Uncertainty Index 1.3 -3.0
• DOGE Total Taxpayer Dollars Saved $215.0 Billion($1,335.40 Savings Per Taxpayer) unch.
• S&P 500 Current Quarter EPS Growth Rate YoY(493 of 500 reporting) +13.7% -.9 percentage point

• S&P 500 Blended Forward 12 Months Mean EPS Estimate 323.77 +2.16:  Growth Rate +16.6% +.8 percentage point, P/E 21.1 -.4
• S&P 500 Current Year Estimated Profit Margin 14.76% unch.
• NYSE FANG+ Current Quarter EPS Growth Rate YoY(10 of 10 reporting) +28.1% +.1 percentage point
• NYSE FANG+ Blended Forward 12 Months Mean EPS Estimate 512.03 +9.38: Growth Rate +31.1% +6.5 percentage points, P/E 28.8 +.6

• Citi US Economic Surprise Index 29.6 -2.3 points

• Citi Eurozone Economic Surprise Index 22.2 +2.6 points

• Citi Emerging Markets Economic Surprise Index 38.0 +1.3 points

• Fed Fund Futures imply 4.4%(-3.0 percentage points) chance of -25.0 basis point cut to 3.25-3.5%, 95.6%(+3.0 percentage points) chance of no change, 0.0%(unch.) chance of +25.0 basis point hike to 3.75-4.0% on 3/18/26

• US Dollar Index 99.0 +1.3%

• MSCI Emerging Markets Currency Index 1,857.9 -1.4%
  

• Bitcoin/USD 68,267.2 +4.1%

• Euro/Yen Carry Return Index 208.1 -.7%
• Swiss Franc/Offshore Chinese Renminbi Cross 8.89 -.32%

• Yield Curve(2s/10s) 58.5 +.75 basis point
  

• 10-Year US Treasury Yield 4.11% +15.0 basis points
• Japan 30-Year Yield 3.41% +6.0 basis points

• Federal Reserve's Balance Sheet $6.581 Trillion +.23%
• Federal Reserve's Discount Window Usage $4.756 Billion +2.8%

• U.S. Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 36.6 +5.1%
  

• Illinois Municipal Debt Credit Default Swap 190.1 +1.5%
  

• Italian/German 10Y Yld Spread 76.0 +13.0 basis points
• UK Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 16.3 +3.7%

• China Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 46.4 +2.%
  

• Brazil Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 136.4 +2.2%
  

• Israel Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 87.0 +.2%
• Dubai Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 57.8 +11.4%

• South Korea Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 25.4 +2.3%

• China Corp. High-Yield Bond USD ETF(KHYB) 24.44 -.9%
• China High-Yield Real Estate Total Return Index 119.20 -1.3%
  

• Atlanta Fed Low Skill Wage Growth Tracker YoY +3.8% unch.
• Zillow US All Homes Rent Index YoY +1.9% unch.
• US Urban Consumers Food CPI YoY +2.9% unch.
• CPI Core Services Ex-Shelter YoY +2.8% unch.
• Cleveland Fed Inflation Nowcast Core PCE YoY +2.95% unch.: CPI YoY +2.41% unch.
• 1-Year TIPS Spread 4.47 +63.0 basis points
• 10-Year TIPS Spread 2.35 +9.0 basis points

• Treasury Repo 3M T-Bill Spread 1.75 +1.0 basis point
• 2-Year SOFR Swap Spread -17.75 -.5 basis point

• 3-Month EUR/USD Cross-Currency Basis Swap -3.5 -4.0 basis points

• N. America Investment Grade Credit Default Swap Index 57.9 +3.7%
• BofA Private Credit Proxy Index 73.0 +.44%

• America Energy Sector High-Yield Credit Default Swap Index 112.0 -28.5%
• High-Yield Tech Sector OAS Index 548.7 -2.2% 
• Bloomberg TRACE # Distressed Bonds Traded 275.0 +12.0 
  

• European Financial Sector Credit Default Swap Index 65.0 +10.2%

• Emerging Markets Credit Default Swap Index 144.5 +7.4%
  

• MBS 5/10 Treasury Spread 113.0 +6.0 basis points
• Bloomberg CMBS Investment Grade Bbb Average OAS 581.0 unch.
• Avg. Auto ABS OAS .48 -2.0 basis points

• M2 Money Supply YoY % Change +4.3% unch.

• Commercial Paper Outstanding $1,397.0B -.7%

• 4-Week Moving Average of Jobless Claims 215,750 -2.2%

• Continuing Claims Unemployment Rate 1.2% unch.
• Kastle Back-to-Work Barometer(entries in secured buildings) 53.7 -3.0%
  

• Average 30-Year Fixed Home Mortgage Rate 6.11% -3.0 basis points

• Weekly Mortgage Applications 377,500 +11.0%

• Weekly Retail Sales +6.8% unch.
• OpenTable US Seated Diners % Change YoY +17.0% +14.0 percentage points
• Box Office Weekly Gross $100.7M -39.7%

• Nationwide Gas $3.32/gallon +.34/gallon

• Baltic Dry Index 2,138.0 -.09%
• Drewry World Container Freight Index $1,958.1/40 ft Box +3.1%
  

• China (Export) Containerized Freight Index 1,054.3 +.9%

• Oil Tanker Rate(Arabian Gulf to U.S. Gulf Coast) 300.0 +160.9%
• Truckstop.com Market Demand Index 117.2 +4.4%

• Rail Freight Carloads 278,598 -.7%
• TSA Total Traveler Throughput 2,615,896 +19.4% 
• Global Monitor Iran Instability Index 94.0 +n/a
• Strait of Hormuz Oil Tanker Traffic Curtailed 92.0% +n/a
• Rasmussen Reports Daily Presidential Approval Tacking Poll 45.0% unch.

Best Performing Style

• Large-Cap Growth unch.

Worst Performing Style

• Small-Cap Growth -3.9%

Leading Sectors

• Software +7.7%

• Energy +5.4%
• Computer Services +5.1%

• Cyber Security +4.4%
  

• Internet +1.2%
  

Lagging Sectors

• Construction -8.1%

• Homebuilding -8.3%
  

• Steel -9.3%

• Gold & Silver -11.6%
  

• Airlines -14.3%%
  

Weekly High-Volume Stock Gainers (32)

• DAWN, MRVL, TECX, IOT, BATL, AMPX, RCAT, SWBI, AAOI, UAMY, UMAC, GCO, LION, TRDA, JD, KRMN, AGRO, MUSA, WSR, PBR, GWRE, EQNR, CF, SOC, PBR, SOC, EC, VIST, ONDS, NTES, YPF and LNG

Weekly High-Volume Stock Losers (37)

• PSNY, ECO, JBTM, UAL, DHT, BILI, MTW, DAL, COO, SBLK, TFII, BC, BMA, AERO, SFBS, GNK, LPG, HSHP, LFUS, HUN, GLW, AMPH, PONY, EMBJ, BLK, FWRD, AXTI, VSCO, WAL, JEF, WOLF, GAP and ALOY

ETFs

• High-Volume Gainers

• High-Volume Losers

Stocks

• High-Volume Gainers

• High-Volume Losers

*5-Day Change

Stocks Lower into Afternoon on Surging Energy Prices, Rising Credit Angst, Technical Selling, Transport/Financial Sector Weakness

Overseas Futures:

• Nikkei 225 Futures: Indicating -1,360 open in Japan 
• China A50 Futures: Indicating -166 open in China

• DAX Futures: Indicating +48 open in Germany

Portfolio:

• Slightly Lower: On losses in my transport/biotech/tech/industrial/consumer discretionary sector longs
• Disclosed Trades: Added to my (IWM)/(QQQ) hedges 
• Market Exposure: Moved to 25% Net Long

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

Earnings of Note 
Company/Estimate 

Before the Open:

• (KFY)/1.24

After the Close: 

• (CASY)/2.99
• (HPE)/.59
• (MTN)/6.17 

Economic Release 

11:00 am EST

• NY Fed 1Yr Inflation Expectations Index for Feb. 

Upcoming Splits

• None of note

Other Potential Market Movers

• The CB Employment Trends Index for Feb., DB Internet/Telecom Conference, Barclays Healthcare Conference, BNP Paribas Tech/Media/Telecom Conference, Loop CapitalStifel NYC Tech Conference, Jefferies Biotech on the Beach Summit, BofA Consumer/Retail Conference, Leerink Healthcare Conference, (SANM) annual meeting and the Cantor Tech/Industrial Growth Conference could also impact global trading on Monday.

US Equity Market Hours

• 9:30 am - 4:00 pm EST

Friday Watch

Night Trading 

• Asian equity indices are -1.25% to +.25% on average. 
• Asia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 72.0 +.5 basis point.
• China Sovereign CDS 44.5 -.25 basis point.
• China Iron Ore Spot 101.0 USD/Metric Tonne +1.0%. 
• Gold 5,149.4 USD/t oz. +1.4%. 
• Swiss Franc/Offshore Chinese Renminbi Cross 8.85 +.08%.
• Bloomberg Emerging Markets Currency Index 35.70 -.01%.
• Bloomberg Global Risk-On/Risk Off Index 99.43 -1.7%.
• US 10-Year Yield 4.13% unch.
• Japan 30-Year Yield 3.40% +1.0 basis point. 
• Volatility Index(VIX) futures 22.3 -.8%.
• Euro Stoxx 50 futures +.57%. 
• S&P 500 futures +.06%.
• NASDAQ 100 futures +.04%.

Morning Preview Links

BOTTOM LINE: Asian indices are mostly lower, weighed down by technology and transport 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.