Morning Call For March 15, 2016

OVERNIGHT MARKETS AND NEWS

Jun E-mini S&Ps (ESM16 -0.56%) are down -0.50% and European stocks are down -0.71% as a slide in commodity prices drags down raw material and energy producing stocks. Freeport-McMoRan is down over 5% in pre-market trading as the price of gold drops to a 1-1/2 week low and Schlumberger Ltd. SLB is down over 1% in pre-market trading as the price of crude oil dropped to a 1-week low. Also, long liquidation in stocks is pulling prices lower ahead of the 2-day FOMC meeting that begins today. Asian stocks settled mostly lower: Japan -0.68%, Hong Kong -0.72%, China +0.17%, Taiwan-1.56%, Australia -1.43%, Singapore -0.27%, South Korea -0.13%, India -1.02%. Japanese stocks retreated, led by a fall in exporters, as the yen strengthened against the dollar after the BOJ maintained a negative interest rate and kept asset-purchase plans unchanged following its policy meeting today.

The dollar index (DXY00 +0.11%) is up +0.19%. EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is down -0.13%. USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is down -0.62%.

Jun T-note prices (ZNM16 +0.16%) are up +6 ticks.

As expected, the BOJ refrained from additional stimulus following the conclusion of today’s policy meeting and said it “will examine risks to economic activity and prices, and take additional easing measures in terms of three dimensions — quantity, quality, and the interest rate – if it is judged necessary for achieving the price stability target.”

U.S. STOCK PREVIEW

Key U.S. news today includes: Feb retail sales (expected -0.2% and -0.2% ex autos, Jan +0.2% and +0.1% ex autos), (2) Feb final-demand PPI (expected -0.2% m/m and +0.1% y/y, Jan +0.1% m/m and -0.2% y/y) and Feb PPI ex food & energy (expected +0.1% m/m and +1.2% y/y, Jan +0.4% m/m and +0.6% y/y), (3) Mar Empire manufacturing survey business conditions index (expected +6.64 to -10.00, Feb +2.73 to -16.64), (4) Mar NAHB housing market index (expected +1 to 59, Feb -3 to 58), (5) Jan business inventories (expected unch, Dec +0.1%), and (6) the first day of the FOMC’s 2-day policy meeting (federal funds rate target expected unchanged at 0.25%-0.50%).