From: Sent Tue 2/26/2013 10:57:31 AM Subject Early Tour 2.26.13 Good Morning ... Europe off 1.3%-2.4% (IBEX -3.1%, MIB 4.7%) ... ASX -1.03%, NKY - 2.26%, KOSPI -0.47%, TWSE -0.84%, SHCOMP -1.40%, HSI -1.32% EUR 1.3087 (+0.19%) JPY 91.96 (-0.16%) EURJJPY 120.34 (+0.34%) NZD 0.8319 (-0.21%) SEK 6.464 (+0.26%) RUB 30.58 (-0.47%) Futures: Dow +23, Nasdaq +3, S&P +2 DXY $81.81 (+4c) Crude 592.28 (-83c) Gold $1594.10 (+$7.50) Copper -0.35% No surprise that Asia was lower overnight following the move in the US. Markets did rebound from the initial sell-off, but rolled over again in the afternoon to close near the lows in most cases. JPY bounced back from yesterday's low of 90.88, hitting 92.74 intra-day before settling around 92. Overall news flow was light as Europe takes focus for the time being. European markets lower across the board on the messy election results out of Italy that have delivered a strong anti-austerity/anti-reform message, created a political vacuum in Italy, and in the process complicated the broader European policy outlook. While Bersani squeaked out a narrow victory over Berlusconi (followed by Grillo and Monti) in the lower house that secures his center-left coalition a majority of the seats there given the rules, nobody was able to secure a majority in the upper house (Senate) — resulting in a hung Parliament. So either a grand coalition needs to be formed or new elections will have to be called. Wolfgang Munchau of the FT makes a case for a grand coalition here but market consensus seems to be that we are inevitably headed for fresh elections (nothing new to Italy which is facing its 62nd government since WW II). The coalition talks are not officially supposed to take place until the presidents for the lower and upper houses have been elected on March 15, so it is likely to be a few weeks before we have any real visibility. This political uncertainty is driving periphery yields sharply higher this morning with Italy 10yr