U.S. stock futures are sinking and nearly all international markets are in the red.
Here are 4 tips for today's trading. This will help you decide where you should invest and what to look for:
1. February finale
1. February finale
It's the final trading day of February and if stocks take a significant dip, this could mark the third consecutive month of losses in the markets.
As it stands now, the Dow Jones industrial average and S&P 500 are in positive territory for the month, but not by much. The Nasdaq is down by 0.5% for February.
February has proven to be a volatile time in the markets following a sharp January sell-off.
2. China, Iran and India under the spotlights
2. China, Iran and India under the spotlights
China has taken another step to boost its slowing economy by cutting the amount of cash banks must hold in reserve. The reserve ratio requirement will drop by 0.5 percentage points from March 1, the central bank said Monday.
International investors are also watching developments in Iran following a weekend election. Early results indicate voters favored reformists and supporters of President Hassan Rouhani. The country signed a landmark nuclear deal last year that limited the nation's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
A senior Iranian official told CNN the country was pushing ahead with plans to increase oil production by one million barrels per day, despite a global supply glut.
India is also in the spotlight as the country reveals its latest budget, which outlines economic and political priorities for the 2016-2017 fiscal year.
3. EURO slipping after bad data
3. EURO slipping after bad data
Euro zone registers deflation, upping pressure on the ECB. Consumer price inflation in the euro zone declined for the first time in five months in February, adding to pressure on the European Central Bank to step up measures to boost price growth in the euro area, official preliminary data showed on Monday.
In a report, Eurostat said consumer price inflation fell by a seasonally adjusted -0.2% this month, missing expectations for a gain of 0.1% and following a 0.3% increase in January. Core CPI, which excludes food, energy, alcohol, and tobacco costs increased by a seasonally adjust.
4. NFP on Friday
4. NFP on Friday
In the week ahead, investors will be focusing on Friday’s U.S. nonfarm payrolls report for February to gauge if the world's largest economy is strong enough to withstand further rate hikes in 2016.
Still on the economic docket for Monday, the U.S. is to publish reports on business activity in the Chicago region for the month of February at 14:45GMT or 11:45AM ET and pending home sales for January at 15:00GMT or 12:00PM ET.
