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Was that it for the great February/March bear market rally?

Michael Hayden is the only official to have served as head of both the National Security Agency and CIA. Once retired from public service, the chief spy for much of the George W. Bush era has always had a difficult time staying out of the headlines.

Central banks around the globe are pursuing strategies that will put all financial assets into government hands, Marc Faber explains to CNBC this morning, taking the opportunity to endorse Donald Trump's bid for the U.S. presidency. As CNBC reports, Faber expects that asset buying by global central banks will only increase, even though he believes those policies aren't working to stimulate the economy.

Having collapsed just over a month ago, peace talks to end the Syrian strife resumed today amid the "fragile" truce brokered by US and Russia. So that makes the following even more intriguing:

With one central bank meeting down, but two to go, VIX and VSTOXX (Europe's VIX equivalent) have plunged to 2016 lows discounting any 'events' upsetting the complacency anytime soon. However, as Goldman's options strategists note, the medium-term skew (3M to 1Y) are at or near record highs as traders prepare for turbulence amid 'Brexit', US elections, and of course the inevitable 'Fold or No Fold' Fed decisions later in the year.