Quick Overview

• The U.S PPI rose 1.6% MoM, the most since June 2009. The core measure, which excludes food and energy costs rose 0.2%

• New U.S. housing construction fell 22.5% in February to 479,000 units, just above the record low set in April 2009. Building permits fell 8.2% to a record low.

• The U.S. current account trade deficit fell 9.7 percent to 113.3 billion U.S. dollars in the last quarter of 2010, the smallest imbalance since the end of 2009

• The Eurozone annual inflation rate was is 2.4%

• The British unemployment rate increased to 8.0 %

• March 16 (Bloomberg) -- Federal Reserve officials signaled they’re unlikely to expand a $600-billion bond purchase plan as the recovery picks up steam and the threat that inflation will fall too low begins to wane.

• Portugal’s debt rating was cut by Moody’s to A3, four steps from junk.

• GOP voted to stop the Environmental Protection Agency's plan to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

• Japan was warned over nuclear plants Wiki Leaks cables show.

• Republicans are fast tracking a bill to bar federal funding of National Public Radio (In an emergency meeting)

• 3/17 USDA announced the sale of 4.3 million bushels of old crop corn to "unknown destinations" this is probably China.

• Salt prices in China jumped to ten fold in some cities on the false belief that it can guard against a possible radiation exposure.

• The quake-tsunami-radiation-struck regions account for 6% of Japan's total agricultural land and 10% of the paddy area.

• AIG said first-quarter catastrophes including the earthquake in Japan will cost the company about $1 billion.

• AT&T agreed to buy T-Mobile  from Deutsche Telekom for $39 billion