US Market closed Higher, With Small Cap leading the move, Overall, countercyclical sectors fared a bit better than their growth-sensitive peers. Of the four defensively-oriented groups, the consumer staples space (-0.2%) was the lone laggard, while health care (+0.5%), telecom services (+0.5%), and utilities (+0.8%) outperformed, Outside of technology, the remaining cyclical groups finished in mixed fashion as consumer discretionary (+0.5%) and financials (+0.4%) outperformed, while energy (-0.2%), industrials (+0.2%), and materials (+0.2%) lagged...Volume still light @ 565Mil shares...VIX @ 12,03 +1%...Asian indices are holding up reasonably well considering the geopolitical risk creeping up in different parts of the region...China stocks are up modestly with both the Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp up about 0.1%. China Apr Conference Board index growth slowed to match a 4-month low of 0.9%, as CB resident economist noted the "overall expansion remains weaker than the latter half of 2013 and underlying volatility in the economy has increased"...Nikkei +0,88% HS+0,09% Shanghai+0,40%
Eur$ 1,3648 S&P Fut+0,04% European Fut. -0,10%
Macro
- Spain Credit Rating Raised to BBB From BBB- at S&P
- Greece Rating Raised to B at Fitch; Outlook Stable
- China Banks’ Shipping Move ‘Bit Worrisome’, Deutsche Bank Says {NSN N5Z6HE6K50XY <go>}
Keep an eye on :
- ALO FP : *GE TO EXTEND DEADLINE FOR ALSTOM BID TO JUNE 23 AT GOVT REQUEST
- ANN GY : Deutsche Annington New Overweight as Barclays Sees 26% Upside
- OUT1V FH : Outokumpu to Merge 25 Shares Into 1 Share
- RWE GY : German Utilities Want Mueller for Nuclear Talks: Handelsblatt
- SMIN LN : Smiths Group Sees Lower Profitability in Smiths Detection
- STVB FH : Stockmann Board Starts to Review, Revise Existing Strategy
- TLW LN: Tullow's Shimela-1 Ethiopian Well Finds Water-Bearing Reservoirs