OVERNIGHT MARKETS AND NEWS

March E-mini S&Ps (ESH16 +0.70%) are up +0.73% and European stocks are up +1.89%, both at 1-week highs, as a rally in crude oil lifts energy producers. Bank stocks are also higher, led by a 11% jump in Credit Agricole, after it said it will sell back stakes in regional banks to shore up capital. Asian stocks settled mixed: Japan -1.36%, Hong Kong -1.03%, China +1.08%, Taiwan +0.03%, Australia -0.57%, Singapore -1.16%, South Korea +0.18%, India +0.82%. China’s Shanghai Composite pushed up to a 3-week high on signs the government will increase stimulus after people familiar with the matter said that China’s chief planning agency is making more money available to local governments to fund new infrastructure projects.

The dollar index (DXY00 -0.02%) is down -0.02% and fell back from a 1-week high after dovish comments from Boston Fed President Rosengren who said that weak inflation should slow the pace of Fed interest rate hikes. EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is up +0.04%. USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is down -0.04%.

Mar T-note prices (ZNH16 -0.14%) are down -4.5 ticks.

Boston Fed President Rosengren said Tuesday night that “recent global events may make it less likely that the 2% inflation target will be achieved as quickly as had been projected in recent forecasts. If inflation is slower to return to target, monetary policy normalization should be unhurried.”

U.S. STOCK PREVIEW

Key U.S. news today includes: (1) weekly MBA mortgage applications (previous +9.3% with purchase sub-index +0.2% and refi sub-index +15.8%), (2) Jan housing starts (expected +1.8% to 1.170 million, Dec -2.5% to 1.149 million), (3) Jan PPI final demand (expected -0.2% m/m and -0.6% y/y, Dec -0.2% m/m and -1.0% y/y) and Jan PPI ex food & energy (expected +0.1% m/m and +0.4% y/y, Dec +0.1% m/m and +0.3% y/y), (4) Jan industrial production (expected +0.3%, Dec -0.4%), (5) the minutes of the Jan 26-27 FOMC meeting, and (6) St. Louis Fed President James Bullard’s speech about the U.S. economic outlook and monetary policy to the CFA Society of St. Louis.