OVERNIGHT MARKETS AND NEWS

March E-mini S&Ps (ESH16 +0.42%) are up +0.22% and European stocks are up +1.75%, led by strength in mining stocks and in energy and raw-material producers as the price of copper and crude oil rose. Crude oil prices (CLG16 +1.52%) are up +1.41% ahead of today’s weekly EIA inventory data after API data released late yesterday showed U.S. crude supplies fell by -3.6 million bbl. Asian stocks settled mixed: Japan closed for holiday, Hong Kong +0.96%, China -0.43%, Taiwan +0.28%, Australia +0.49%, Singapore +0.37%, South Korea +0.43%, India +1.01%. China’s Shanghai Composite jumped to 4-month high on speculation the government will boost stimulus measures to revive growth, but profit-taking emerged near the highs and stocks erased their gains and settled lower.

The dollar index (DXY00 +0.06%) is up +0.01%. EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is down -0.24%. USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is down -0.18%.

Mar T-note prices (ZNH16 -0.10%) are down -3 ticks.

UK Q3 GDP was unexpectedly revised lower to +0.4% q/q and +2.1% y/y, weaker than expectations of no change at +0.5% q/q and +2.3% y/y.

U.S. STOCK PREVIEW

Key U.S. news today includes: (1) weekly MBA mortgage applications (previous -1.1% with purchase sub-index -2.8% and refi sub-index +1.4%), (2) Nov personal spending (expected +0.3%, Oct +0.1%) and Nov personal income (expected +0.2%, Oct +0.4%), (3) Nov PCE deflator (expected +0.1% m/m and +0.4% y/y, Oct +0.1% m/m and +0.2% y/y) and Nov core PCE deflator (expected +0.1% m/m and +1.3% y/y, Oct unch m/m and +1.3% y/y), (4) Nov durable goods orders (expected -0.6% and unch ex transportation, Oct +2.9% and +0.5% ex transportation), (5) Nov new home sales (expected +2.0% to 505,000, Oct +10.7% to 495,000), (6) final-Dec University of Michigan U.S. consumer sentiment index (expected +0.2 to 92.0, prelim-Dec +0.5 to 91.8), (7) the Treasury’s auction of $13 billion of 2-year floating-rate notes.