Mensajepor BETO1962 » Lun Mar 12, 2012 9:50 am
S&P 500 Index futures (/ES) are quiet this morning as the weekend passed without major news. China reported its biggest monthly trade deficit in at least a decade for the month of February, as imports rebounded after the New Year slowdown in January. The combined numbers for both January and February showed a marked deceleration in import growth. Italy reported another contraction in their GDP data and the country is officially in a recession. There is little U.S. economic data or corporate news scheduled to be release today. The markets will continue to take its cue from overseas news. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) fell another 4% on Friday as the equity rally continued throughout the session. Although the VIX is hovering near the $17 level, real volatility in many market indices is sharply lower as option premium is extremely low. Both Gold (/GC) and oil futures (/CL) are lower ahead of the opening bell. Treasuries are higher this morning which may put downward pressure on stocks today. This week is option expiration so we may see some additional volatility and volume as investors clean up their March positions.