OVERNIGHT MARKETS AND NEWS

March E-mini S&Ps (ESH16 -0.86%) are down -0.77% at a 3-1/2 week low and European stocks are down -1.52% at a 1-3/4 month low on concern over a slowdown in China after China Nov new loans rose less than expected. Also, energy producers are lower as the price of crude oil (CLF16 -1.33%) fell to a fresh 6-3/4 year low after the IEA said the global oil surplus will last until late next year as demand growth slows and OPEC shoes “renewed determination” to maximize output. Asian stocks settled mostly lower: Japan +0.97%, Hong Kong -1.11%, China -0.61%, Taiwan -1.22%, Australia-0.16%, Singapore -0.49%, South Korea -0.10%, India -0.82%. Japanese stocks went against the trend and closed higher as raw-material stocks rallied and led the overall market after industrial metals rose with copper (HGH16 +1.54%) at a 3-week high.

The dollar index (DXY00 -0.17%) is down -0.20%. EUR/USD (^EURUSD)is up +0.27% after ECB Executive Board member Coeure said the Eurozone deflation risk is now “off the table.” USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is down -0.14%.

Mar T-note prices (ZNH16 +0.26%) are up +7.5 ticks.

China Nov new yuan loans rose 708.9 billion yuan, less than expectations of 735.0 billion yuan.

ECB Executive Board member Coeure said the Eurozone risk is now “off the table” as the ECB “sees a recovery in the Eurozone, which is firming now. Growth is accelerating. It remains weak but it is going in the right direction.”

U.S. STOCK PREVIEW

Key U.S. news today includes: (1) Nov retail sales (expected +0.2% and +0.3% ex autos, Oct +0.1% and +0.2% ex autos), (2) Nov final-demand PPI (expected unch m/m and -1.4% y/y, Oct -0.4% m/m and -1.6% y/y) and Nov PPI ex food & energy (expected +0.1% m/m and +0.2% y/y, Oct -0.3% m/m and +0.1% y/y), (3) Oct business inventories (expected +0.1%, Sep +0.3%), (4) preliminary-Dec University of Michigan U.S. consumer sentiment index (expected +0.7 to 92.0, Nov +1.3 to 91.3).