TheStrategyLab.com Price Action Trading Support Forum

Trade Results of M.A. Perry
Trader and Founder of WRB Analysis (wide range body/bar analysis)
Price Action Trading (no technical indicators)
Phone: +1 708 572-4885
Free Chat Room: http://www.thestrategylab.com/tsl/forum/viewforum.php?f=164
Business Hours: 8am - 5pm est (Mon - Fri)
questions@thestrategylab.com (24/7)
http://twitter.com/wrbtrader (24/7)


click on the above image to view today's performance verification

Price Action Trade Performance for Today: Emini TF ($TF_F) futures @ $200.00 dollars or +2.00 points, Emini ES ($ES_F) futures @ $0.00 dollars or +0.00 points, Light Crude Oil CL ($CL_F) futures @ $0.00 dollars or +0.00 points, Gold GC ($GC_F) futures @ $0.00 dollars or +0.00 points and EuroFX 6E ($6E_F) futures @ $0.00 dollars or +0.0000 ticks. Total Profit @ $200.00 dollars

Russell 2000 Emini TF Futures: 1 tick or 0.10 = $10.00 dollars and there's more contract information @ The ICE
S&P 500 Emini ES Futures: 1 tick or 0.25 = $12.50 dollars and there's more contract information @ CMEGroup
Light Crude Oil CL (WTI) Futures: 1 tick or 0.01 = $10.00 dollars and there's more contract information @ CMEGroup
Gold GC Futures: 1 tick or 0.10 = $10.00 dollars and there's more contract information @ CMEGroup
EuroFX 6E Futures: 1 tick or 0.0001 = $12.50 dollars and there's more contract information @ CMEGroup

Trade Log: All of my trades were posted real-time in the timestamp ##TheStrategyLab chat room. You can read today's price action trading information about my trades (e.g. time, price entry, contract size, price exit) as the trade traversed to its completion. Also, sometimes I'll post real-time trading tips in ##TheStrategyLab chat room involving WRBs, WRB Hidden GAPs, Key Market Events (KME), Tutorial Chapters 2 & 3, WRB Zones, Reaction Highs/Lows, Contracting Volatility or Expanding Volatility. Its all archived @ http://www.thestrategylab.com/ftchat/forum/viewtopic.php?f=141&t=2023


Also, posted below are direct links to information about my price action trade methodology and trading plan (there's a difference between the two) that enables me to identify key trading areas in the price action that represent changes in supply/demand and volatility along with being able to exploit these changes via WRB Analysis (wide range body/bar analysis). I'm primarily a day trader because it suits my personal lifestyle but I do occasionally swing trade and position trade. Simply, my trade method is applicable for position trading, swing trading and day trading.

##TheStrategyLab Chat Room is free. Members and I use the chat room to post WRB Analysis commentary, real-time trades and to post anything else related to trading. The chat room helps me tremendously in my own trading because I use it to document (journal) general volatility analysis involving WRB Analysis so that I can easily review at a later date my thoughts as I interacted with the markets...info I can not get from my broker statements. Also, this is not a signal calling chat room where a head trader tells you when to buy or sell and I do not have the time/energy/resources to manage a signal calling chat room. Access instructions for chat room @ http://www.thestrategylab.com/tsl/forum/viewforum.php?f=164

Price Action Analysis via Advance WRB Analysis Tutorial Chapters @ http://www.thestrategylab.com/WRBAnalysisTutorials.htm and there's a free study guide of the WRB Analysis Tutorial Chapters 1, 2 and 3 @ http://www.thestrategylab.com/tsl/forum/viewtopic.php?f=119&t=718

Analysis -----> Trade Signals

Trade Signal Strategies via Volatility Trading Report (VTR) @ http://www.thestrategylab.com/VolatilityTrading.htm and there's a free trade signal strategy @ http://www.thestrategylab.com/tsl/forum/viewforum.php?f=89 so that you can freely test drive one of our price action trade strategies with support (answering your questions) prior to purchasing the Volatility Trading Report (VTR). All WRB Analysis Tutorial Chapters 1 - 12 are included in the purchase of the Volatility Trading Report (VTR).

Trading Plan Daily Routine @ http://www.thestrategylab.com/tsl/forum/viewtopic.php?f=259&t=2687

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Market Context Summaries

The below summaries by Bloomberg, CNNMoney, Reuters and Yahoo! Finance helps me to do a quick review of the fundamentals, FED/ECB/BOE/IMF actions or any important global economic events (e.g. Eurozone, MarketWatch.com) that had an impact on today's price action in many trading instruments I monitor during the trading day. Simply, I'm a strong believer that key market events causes key changes in supply/demand and volatility resulting in trade opportunities (swing points and strong continuation price actions) that reach profit targets. Thus, I pay attention to these key market events, intermarket analysis (e.g. Forex EurUsd, EuroFX 6E futures, Gold GC futures, Light Crude Oil (WTI) CL & Brent Oil futures, Eurex DAX futures, Euronext FTSE100 futures, Emini ES futures, Emini TF futures, Treasury ZB futures and U.S. Dollar Index futures) while using WRB Analysis from one trade to the next trade to give me the market context for price action trading before the appearance of my technical analysis trade signals. Therefore, I maintain these archives to allow me to understand what was happening on any given trading day in the past involving key market events to help better understand my trade decisions (day trading, swing trading, position trading)...something I can not get from my broker statements alone. Further, most financial websites remove (delete) their archives after a few years to make room for new content. Therefore, I maintain my own archives of the news content so that I have it available for me when financial websites no longer archives their content.


click on the above image to view today's price action of key markets


4:10 pm: [BRIEFING.COM] The stock market began the week on an upbeat note with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (+0.8%) pacing the Monday advance. The price-weighted index settled well ahead of the S&P 500 (+0.4%) while the Nasdaq Composite (+0.3%) spent the bulk of the day near its flat line.

Equity indices climbed out of the gate with cyclical sectors fueling the early advance. Meanwhile, countercyclical groups struggled early, but only the telecom services sector (-0.3%) failed to turn positive by the closing bell.

Eight of ten sectors finished the day in the green with industrials (+0.9%) settling in the lead. The sector benefitted from solid gains among large cap names like 3M (MMM 166.37, +2.01), Boeing (BA 154.75, +1.63), and Caterpillar (CAT 80.81, +0.75) with the three Dow components advancing between 0.9% and 1.2%. The trio helped the Dow climb throughout the session while the Nasdaq underperformed due to relative weakness in biotechnology and major chipmakers like Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM 23.45, -0.64) and Intel (INTC 32.71, -0.48).

Furthermore, the top-weighted Nasdaq component-Apple (AAPL 127.09, +0.49)-showed intraday volatility, but ended higher by 0.4% after introducing new features to its MacBook lineup and unveiling the Apple Watch with retail prices for the latter ranging from $349 to more than $10,000 for a premium version crafted with gold alloys. As for the broader technology sector (+0.5%), the group struggled in the early going, but finished among the leaders.

Elsewhere among cyclical sectors, the discretionary space (+0.5%) also settled ahead of the broader market with shares of McDonald's (MCD 97.71, +0.58) shrugging off a 1.7% decline in February global sales that included a 4.0% drop in domestic sales.

On the downside, the energy sector (-0.7%) started in the lead, but settled at the bottom of the leaderboard even though crude oil advanced 0.7% to $49.96/bbl.

Treasuries began climbing overnight and continued their rally during the session to send the 10-yr yield lower by five basis points to 2.20%. The advance followed news that the Eurogroup rejected some of the reforms proposed by Greece. The two sides met once again today, but the meeting did not produce any joint statements.

Today's participation was relatively light with fewer than 750 million shares changing hands at the NYSE floor.

Tomorrow, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for January and the January Wholesale Inventories report (Briefing.com consensus -0.1%) will be released at 10:00 ET.

Nasdaq Composite +4.4% YTD
Russell 2000 +1.5% YTD
S&P 500 +1.0% YTD
Dow Jones Industrial Average +1.0% YTD

3:35 pm: [BRIEFING.COM]

Natural gas futures sunk lower today on a warm weather outlook.
Front-month nat has (Apr) ended today's session $0.17 lower (or -6%) to $2.67, closing near the day's low.
WTI crude oil slid off of its HoD, which was hit in the morning session.
Apr crude ultimately finished the day $0.34 higher at $49.96/barrel.
Gold and silver slid off of today's highs, which were hit mid-morning. Apr gold rose $2.40 today to $1166.60/oz, while May silver -0.02% at $15.79/oz May copper +0.06 to $2.67/lb

3:00 pm: [BRIEFING.COM] The S&P 500 trades higher by 0.5% with one hour remaining in the session while the Nasdaq (+0.2%) is back near its flat line.

The Nasdaq has returned into the neighborhood of its unchanged level in a move that coincided with shares of Apple (AAPL 126.32, -0.28) dropping to a fresh low. The top-weighted tech stock is now lower by 0.2% following the conclusion of the company's product launch event. During the event, Apple introduced new features to its MacBook lineup and unveiled the Apple Watch with retail prices for the latter ranging from $349 to more than $10,000 for a premium version crafted with gold alloys.

Meanwhile, the technology sector (+0.4%) trades just behind the S&P 500.

2:30 pm: [BRIEFING.COM] Equity indices have inched away from their highs, but they continue holding gains with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (+0.9%) maintaining its lead. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 (+0.4%) follows a bit behind with eight sectors trading in the green.

The technology sector (+0.6%) held the lead not long ago, but the group has slid from its high as shares of Apple (AAPL 127.84, +1.24) followed the same pattern. That being said, shares of Apple remain higher by 0.9% while the tech sector continues trading among the outperformers. However, the industrial sector (+0.9%) is now back in the lead.

1:55 pm: [BRIEFING.COM] The major averages have powered to new highs behind the technology sector (+0.9%), and specifically, Apple (AAPL 129.28, +2.68), which is now higher by 2.1% as the company's product launch event continues.

In addition to lifting the tech sector, Apple has helped the Nasdaq Composite (+0.5%) climb to a new high for the day. Meanwhile, biotechnology continues showing relative weakness, but the iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB 342.33, -0.03) has returned to its flat line.

Elsewhere, the energy sector has slipped back into the red even as crude oil remains higher by 1.0% at $50.10/bbl.

1:30 pm: [BRIEFING.COM] The major U.S. indices continue to hold in positive territory, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average outlegging the other indices by a noticeable margin..

At the top of the hour, the much anticipated Apple (AAPL 127.81, +1.21) Spring Forward event began. While the main interest in the event revolves around the release of Apple's new Watch product, a separate highlight from the presentation involved Apple announcing that HBO Now (owned by TWX) will premier in April. This new subscription service will be available to Apple customers directly for the first time, and will allow those users to watch any of HBO's programs and recent hit movies for a monthly fee. Separately, Apple said that the number of locations that accept its Apple Pay service has increased 200%, and that it expects the payment method to appear soon in Coca-Cola machines.

The only S&P sector in the red at the moment is telecom services (-0.08%). Overall, news flow and volume remains pretty light.

12:55 pm: [BRIEFING.COM] The major averages sport midday gains with the Dow (+0.7%) and S&P 500 (+0.3%) trading ahead of the Nasdaq Composite (+0.1%), which has struggled to pull away from its flat line.

The first half of today's session has been fairly quiet with cyclical sectors showing relative strength while the consumer staples sector (+0.4%) is the only outperformer on the countercyclical side. Meanwhile, the only two decliners-health care and telecom services-have spent the early action just below their flat lines.

Notably, the health care sector has been pressured by biotechnology, evidenced by a 0.5% decline in the iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB 340.60, -1.76). The industry group has also weighed on the Nasdaq Composite even though the largest index component by weight-Apple (AAPL 127.40, +0.80)-trades higher by 0.6% ahead of the company's wristwatch reveal event in San Francisco.

For its part, the technology sector (+0.3%) trades in-line with the S&P 500, but chipmakers Intel (INTC 32.70, -0.49) and Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM 23.32, -0.77) lag, with the latter down 3.2% after being downgraded at Pacific Crest.

Elsewhere among cyclical sectors, energy (+0.4%) and industrials (+0.7%) outperform while other groups hover closer to their flat lines. The industrial sector has rallied behind Dow component Boeing (BA 155.19, +2.07) while energy has received support from crude oil, which trades higher by 1.3% at $50.26/bbl.

Treasuries hold gains, but are off their highs with the 10-yr yield lower by three basis points at 2.21%. On a related note, Germany's 10-yr yield has slid nine basis points to 0.27% as the European Central Bank began asset purchases under its QE program.

Also of note, the Eurogroup has rejected some of the reforms proposed by Greece and the two sides have returned to the negotiating table today, but Eurogroup officials have cautioned not to expect a statement today.

12:25 pm: [BRIEFING.COM] Recent action saw the Dow (+0.6%) and S&P 500 (+0.2%) slip from their highs while the Nasdaq (-0.1%) has returned near its session low.

Even though the Nasdaq lags, shares of Apple (AAPL 127.45, +0.85) remain higher by 0.7% ahead of the company's press event in San Francisco that is set to begin in about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, biotechnology names continue pressuring the index with iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB 340.15, -2.21) trading lower by 0.7% while the health care sector (-0.1%) hovers just below its flat line.

On the flip side, industrials (+0.6%) and energy (+0.4%) hold the lead while other sectors trade closer to their flat lines.

11:55 am: [BRIEFING.COM] The major averages hover near their recent levels with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (+0.6%) maintaining its lead over the S&P 500 (+0.2%).

Cyclical sectors have shown relative strength since the start and five of six growth-sensitive groups continue trading ahead of the broader market while the materials sector (+0.1%) underperforms. Steelmakers weigh with Market Vectors Steel ETF (SLX 32.13, -0.12) trading lower by 0.4% after Cliffs Natural Resources (CLF 5.84, -0.43) was downgraded to 'Sell' from 'Hold' at Axiom Capital.

Over on the countercyclical side, the consumer staples sector trades in-line with the S&P 500 while health care (-0.1%), telecom services (+0.1%), and utilities (unch) underperform.

11:30 am: [BRIEFING.COM] Not much change in the major averages with the Dow (+0.7%) and S&P 500 (+0.4%) hovering near their session highs.

Eight sectors continue holding gains while materials and health care sit near their respective flat lines. On the upside, the industrial sector (+0.7%) has climbed ahead of energy (+0.6%) thanks to a 1.3% gain in the shares of Boeing (BA 155.16, +2.04).

Similar to Boeing, five other Dow components hold gains larger than 1.0% while Intel (INTC 32.66, -0.53) is lower by 1.5%, which makes it the worst performer within the Dow.

Elsewhere, Treasuries have slipped from their highs, but the 10-yr yield remains lower by four basis points at 2.21%.

10:55 am: [BRIEFING.COM] The Dow (+0.6%) and S&P 500 (+0.3%) hover near their highs while the Nasdaq remains near its flat line.

The energy sector lagged at the start of the session, but now leads with a gain of 0.7% while crude oil trades higher by 2.0% at $50.57/bbl. Meanwhile, the remaining cyclical sectors also hold gains, but the industrial space (+0.7%) is the only growth-sensitive group with a gain larger than 0.3%.

On the downside, the health care sector (-0.1%) holds a slim loss with biotechnology continuing its underperformance. The iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB 340.06, -2.30) is lower by 0.7%, which has contributed to the underperformance of the Nasdaq.

10:35 am: [BRIEFING.COM]

The dollar index is back near the unchanged line, but is currently -0.1%, which isn't doing that much for commodities
In the energy space, there's enough volatility this morning without influence from the dollar index
Natural gas futures are down sharply today following an improvement in the near-term weather outlook
WTI crude oil has been volatile following comments from OPEC's Secretary-General El-Badri... such as "Imbalance in crude oil price will even out in the second half of the year."
We already knew that. The imbalance continues to be expected to even out in the second half of this year, so we wouldn't view this as new expectations.
In current trade, Apr crude oil is +1% at $50.10/barrel, while Apr natural gas is -3.5% at $2.74/MMBtu
Copper is strong this morning with the May contract up +2% at $2.66/lb
In precious metals, Apr gold is +0.6% at $1170.80/oz, while May silver is -0.01% at $15.81/oz

9:55 am: [BRIEFING.COM] The S&P 500 (+0.1%) continues holding a slim gain while the Nasdaq Composite (-0.1%) has slipped into the red amid weakness in heavily-weighted components like Google (GOOGL 569.92, -2.98), Intel (INTC 32.85, -0.34), and Facebook (FB 79.22, -0.78). Similarly, the high-beta biotech group has pressured the index with the iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB 340.66, -1.50) extending its decline to 0.5%.

As a result, health care and technology sectors are both in the red at this time.

Elsewhere, Treasuries have inched to fresh highs, pressuring the 10-yr yield to 2.20% (-5 bps).

9:40 am: [BRIEFING.COM] Equity indices have climbed out of the gate with the S&P 500 (+0.2%) enjoying support from eight sectors trading in the green.

Growth-sensitive industrials (+0.5%), consumer discretionary (+0.3%), and financials (+0.3%) are among the opening leaders while the health care sector (-0.1%) underperforms slightly with biotechnology facing some selling pressure. The iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB 340.84, -1.52) trades lower by 0.4%.

Elsewhere, Treasuries continue hovering near their best levels of the morning with the 10-yr yield down four basis points at 2.21%.

9:10 am: [BRIEFING.COM] S&P futures vs fair value: +2.80. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: +13.70. The stock market is on track for a modestly higher open as futures on the S&P 500 trade three points above fair value. Index futures spent the bulk of the night in the red, but spiked off their lows during the past two hours.

The early weakness was brought on by renewed concerns about Greece after the Eurogroup rejected some of the proposals put forth in the aid extension request letter from a couple weeks ago. The Eurogroup is meeting today and is expected to discuss the issue.

Despite the concerns, index futures have been able to climb into the green with Nasdaq futures in the lead (+14 vs fair value) thanks to the top-weighted component. Shares of Apple (AAPL 127.80, +1.20) trade higher by 1.0% in pre-market ahead of the company's unveiling of its new watch product during a press event at 13:00 ET.

Treasuries hold gains with the 10-yr yield lower by four basis points at 2.20%.

8:57 am: [BRIEFING.COM] S&P futures vs fair value: +3.60. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: +14.00. The S&P 500 futures trade four points above fair value.

Asian markets suffered broad-based losses on the heels of Friday's weak showing on Wall Street. Just about every market fell prone to selling pressure, with the exception of China's Shanghai Composite. It bucked the trend with a sizable 1.9% gain that followed in the wake of China's trade balance report for February.

In economic data:
China's February trade surplus widened to $60.60 billion from $60.03 billion (expected $10.80 billion) as Exports +48.3% year-over-year (expected 14.2%; prior -3.3%) and Imports -20.5% year-over-year (expected -10.0%; prior -19.9%)
Japan's Q4 GDP +0.4% quarter-over-quarter (expected 0.6%; prior 0.6%); +1.5% year-over-year (expected 2.2%; prior 2.2%). Separately, GDP Price Index +2.4% year-over-year (expected 2.3%; prior 2.3%), Q4 GDP Private Consumption +0.5% quarter-over-quarter (expected 0.3%; prior 0.3%), and January Adjusted Current Account JPY 1.06 trillion (expected JPY1.16 trillion; prior JPY 850 billion). Also of note, February Bank Lending +2.5% (expected 2.5%; prior 2.5%)

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Japan's Nikkei declined 1.0% following the downward revision to Q4 GDP growth. Losses were paced by the basic materials (-1.3%), technology (-1.0%), consumer cyclical (-0.9%), and communications (-0.9%) sectors. All sectors, however, ended Monday lower. Leading individual decliners were Astellas Pharma (-3.7%), Kansai Electric Power Co. (-3.5%), Sumitomo Realty & Development Co. (-3.2%), and Nippon Electric Glass Co (-2.9%).
Hong Kong's Hang Seng declined 0.2%. The utilities (-1.1%) sectors was the biggest laggard. Strength in a number of financial stocks helped limit the losses. Ping An Insurance (+1.7%), Bank of China (+1.4%), China Construction Bank (+1.3%), China Life Insurance Co (+1.1%), and Bank of Communications (+0.8%) were all among the top-ten gainers on Monday. Galaxy Entertainment (-2.3%) was the biggest individual decliner.
China's Shanghai Composite increased 1.9% in the wake of a mixed trade report that showed a huge 48.3% year-over-year jump in exports in February. The technology (+2.4%), industrial (+1.6%), and consumer non-cyclical (+1.5%) sectors were leading gainers in the Chinese market. Jaingsu Zhongda New Material Group (+10.0%) and Bank of Nanjing Co (+10.0%) led all individual gainers.

Major European indices trade mostly lower while Italy's MIB (+0.4%) outperforms. The European Central Bank has announced the start of bond purchases as part of its new QE program, but the news was overshadowed by renewed concerns about Greece. Specifically, Bloomberg reports the Eurogroup has rejected some of the proposals put forth in the aid extension request letter from a couple weeks ago. Greece's Athens General Index has given up 4.4% and the Eurogroup is expected to meet today.

Economic data was limited:
Eurozone Sentix Investor Confidence rose to 18.6 from 12.4 (expected 15.0)
Germany's trade surplus narrowed to EUR19.70 billion from EUR21.60 billion (expected surplus of EUR21.00 billion) as exports fell 2.1% month-over-month (consensus -1.5%; prior 2.8%) and imports declined 0.3% (expected 0.5%; last -0.7%)

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Germany's DAX trades flat after erasing its opening loss. Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank outperform with respective gains of 1.6% and 1.2% while Deutsche Boerse is lower by 1.1%.
France's CAC is lower by 0.4% with growth-sensitive Credit Agricole, Lafarge, and Solvay down between 0.7% and 1.5%. On the upside, Renault leads with a gain of 1.0%.
UK's FTSE has given up 0.5% amid broad weakness. Real estate-linked names lag with Land Securities Group, British Land, and Barratt Developments down between 1.8% and 2.1%. Miners outperform with Glencore, Randgold Resources, and Fresnillo up between 0.3% and 1.2%.
Italy's MIB trades up 0.4% with BMPS, Banca di Milano Scarl, and Intesa Sanpaolo holding gains between 1.1% and 2.2%.

8:26 am: [BRIEFING.COM] S&P futures vs fair value: +2.80. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: +10.70. U.S. equity futures continue holding slim gains following the recent recovery off their overnight lows; however, the trading range has been relatively narrow with S&P 500 futures bouncing between 2,066 and 2,073. Meanwhile, Nasdaq futures have shown some relative strength with Apple (AAPL 127.64, +1.04) higher by 0.8% in pre-market action ahead of this afternoon's press event where the company is expected to unveil its wristwatch.

The company's press event is scheduled to begin at 13:00 ET.

8:01 am: [BRIEFING.COM] S&P futures vs fair value: +1.70. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: +9.70. U.S. equity futures trade slightly higher after spiking off their overnight lows in recent action. The S&P 500 futures hover two points above fair value.

Overnight, the European Central Bank began bond purchases as part of its new QE program, but the news was overshadowed by renewed concerns about Greece. Specifically, Bloomberg reports the Eurogroup has rejected some of the proposals put forth in the aid extension request letter from a couple weeks ago. Greece's Athens General Index has given up 4.4%.

U.S. Treasuries hold modest gains with the 10-yr yield lower by nearly three basis points at 2.22% while Germany's benchmark yield is lower by six basis points at 0.29%.

In U.S. corporate news of note:

Amazon.com (AMZN 377.00, -3.09): -0.8% in reaction to a Sun Trust Robinson Humphrey downgrade to 'Neutral' from 'Buy.'
Blackberry (BBRY 10.22, -0.45): -4.2% following a Goldman Sachs downgrade to 'Sell' from 'Neutral.'
General Motors (GM 37.80, +1.26): +3.5% after the company authorized a $5 billion share buyback program.
Juniper Networks (JNPR 24.49, +0.92): +3.9% after Goldman upgraded the stock to 'Buy' from 'Neutral.'

Reviewing overnight developments:

Asian markets ended mostly lower. Hong Kong's Hang Seng -0.2%, Japan's Nikkei -1.0%, and China's Shanghai Composite +1.9%.
In economic data:
China's February trade surplus widened to $60.60 billion from $60.03 billion (expected $10.80 billion) as Exports +48.3% year-over-year (expected 14.2%; prior -3.3%) and Imports -20.5% year-over-year (expected -10.0%; prior -19.9%)
Japan's Q4 GDP +0.4% quarter-over-quarter (expected 0.6%; prior 0.6%); +1.5% year-over-year (expected 2.2%; prior 2.2%). Separately, GDP Price Index +2.4% year-over-year (expected 2.3%; prior 2.3%), Q4 GDP Private Consumption +0.5% quarter-over-quarter (expected 0.3%; prior 0.3%), and January Adjusted Current Account JPY 1.06 trillion (expected JPY1.16 trillion; prior JPY 850 billion). Also of note, February Bank Lending +2.5% (expected 2.5%; prior 2.5%)
In news:
China's 20.5% decline in imports marked the largest drop in nearly six years, but the data was likely somewhat distorted by the timing of the Lunar New Year.

Major European indices trade mostly lower. Germany's DAX -0.1%, France's CAC -0.4%, and UK's FTSE -0.6%. Elsewhere, Italy's MIB +0.5% and Spain's IBEX -0.3%.
Economic data was limited:
Eurozone Sentix Investor Confidence rose to 18.6 from 12.4 (expected 15.0)
Germany's trade surplus narrowed to EUR19.70 billion from EUR21.60 billion (expected surplus of EUR21.00 billion) as exports fell 2.1% month-over-month (consensus -1.5%; prior 2.8%) and imports declined 0.3% (expected 0.5%; last -0.7%)
Among news of note:
The Eurogroup will meet today to discuss the next step with regards to Greece

6:12 am: [BRIEFING.COM] S&P futures vs fair value: -3.40. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: -1.30.

6:12 am: [BRIEFING.COM] Nikkei...18790.55...-180.50...-1.00%. Hang Seng...24123.05...-41.00...-0.20%.

6:12 am: [BRIEFING.COM] FTSE...6866.24...-45.60...-0.70%. DAX...11503.87...-46.60...-0.40%.

Special thanks to Bloomberg, CNNMoney, Reuters and Yahoo! Finance for their market summaries.

Best Regards,
M.A. Perry
Trader and Founder of WRB Analysis (wide range body/bar analysis)
@ http://twitter.com/wrbtrader @ http://stocktwits.com/wrbtrader

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