March 8, 2015 The Week Ahead

In a world where bad news is good and good news is bad…it was not a real shock to see the market sell off on Friday, after impressive jobs data and a decline in the unemployment rate. The fear of the FED raising rates sooner than later…really spooked the market. Overall, the S&P 500 dropped nearly 30 points, closing at 2071.26 on Friday.

Before the market opened, a surprise headline hit the wires. Apple Inc (AAPL) would be replacing AT&T (T) in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The announcement was met rather favorably, as AAPL shares closed positive, despite the bloodbath in the market.

The VIX caught a bid, closing at 15.20, up 8.26% on Friday.

The United States Oil Fund LP (ETF), (USO), sold off more than 2.5%, closing at 18.24.

Also, included in the sell-off on Friday was the SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) -2.73% and iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) -2.2%.

Key Economic Numbers This Week:

12 March 2015- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET, Retail Sales 8:30 AM ET
13 March 2015- PPI 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings This Week:

9 March 2015- URBN, VNET
10 March 2015- BKS, PAY
11 March 2015- EXPR, MW, BOX, SHAK
12 March 2015- LEAF, RICE, ARO, RMAX, ULTA
13 March 2015- ANN

Key Conferences:

9 March 2015- Apple Media Event, Deutsche Bank Media, Internet and Telecom Conference, Roth Investor Conference
10 March 2015- Credit Suisse Global Services Conference, Piper Jaffray Technology, Media, Telecom Conference, Barclay’s Healthcare Conference

With the sudden jolt in volatility, it will be important to stay nimble, pick your spots, take profits when you get them and not be stubborn to take a loss if a trade moves against you.