United States

The market's volatile swing are clearly too much for the central banker-incubating hedge fund known as Goldman Sachs, because just three days after Goldman said there has "never been a better time to buy S&P calls", when it said that "our GS-EQMOVE model estimates there is a 21% probability of a 5% up-move over the next month based on the current levels of S&P 500 Free Cash Flow yield, Return on Equity, ISM new orders and US Capacity Utilization"...

... moments ago the same Goldman announced that:

Obama’s Atlantic interviews on foreign policy contains some interesting remarks, but they are difficult to square with Obama’s own policies. The New York Times summarizes some of his views this way:

President Obama believes that Saudi Arabia, one of America’s most important allies in the Middle East, needs to learn how to “share” the region with its archenemy, Iran, and that both countries are guilty of fueling proxy wars in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

• Pressure Is on Mario Draghi to Show ECB Has Tools to Boost Low Inflation (WSJ)
• Euro dips as ECB sets sights on deeper negative rates (Reuters)
• Ohio's 'dirty little secret': blue-collar Democrats for Trump (Reuters)
• Irish Economy Expanded 7.8% in 2015, Fastest Pace Since 2000 (BBG)
• Too Many Boats for Too Little Cargo Leaves Shippers High and Dry (BBG)
• Abe pledges to boost tourism in tsunami-ravaged region, maintains nuclear policy stance  (Xinhua)
• Amazon Finds Air Freight Partner (WSJ)

Global stocks and U.S. equity futures are mostly higher this morning (despite China's historic NPL debt-for-equity proposal) as traders await the main event of the day: the ECB's 1:45pm CET announcement, more importantly what Mario Draghi will announce during the 2:30pm CET press conference, and most importantly, whether he will disappoint as he did in December or finally unleash the bazooka that the market has been desperately demanding.

The U.S. have dispatched three B-2 stealth bombers to the Asia-Pacific region amid escalating tensions with North Korea.  U.S. Strategic Command announced the deployment on Wednesday morning, but said the exact destination of the bombers were a secret. Townhall.com reports: The deployment was announced Wednesday by U.S. Strategic Command, which is responsible for U.S. nuclear forces. B-2 bombers are capable of launching nuclear as well as conventional weapons. They are based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.