Leading Indicators
What’s in Today’s Report:
- Some Leading Indicators of the 2018 Correction Are Teetering Again
U.S. futures are up small while Asian markets were notably higher overnight as the indexes continued to play “catch up” to the big gains in the US since mid-day Friday while EU markets are flat as investors eye today’s Brexit vote.
News that the EU made some last minute concessions to the Brexit agreement ahead of today’s vote in Parliament was seen as a positive o/n but a deal still remains unlikely.
The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index was 101.7 vs. (E) 102.5 in February but encouragingly some of the forward looking details did improve.
The two primary catalysts in the U.S. today both hit before the open with CPI (E: 0.2%) at 8:30 a.m. ET and then the Fed’s Brainard speaks at 8:45 a.m. ET. Focus will then return to today’s Brexit vote and while a “deal” is not likely, it will be the lack of a delay to the deadline that would hit the pound and risk assets globally.