According to a report by Forbes, there is no "economic immunity" for the United States once the global economy is in tatters. The report points to many problems in the global marketplace that could signal a major downturn for the economy pushing the U.S. ever closer to an unavoidable recession. When the U.S. consumer goes on strike (quits buying things for any reason), the odds of a recession skyrocket. So, it would behoove market watchers to stop ignoring the growing potential for a significant economic slowdown.

Japan's latest employment data was very poor while China's high and rising bond defaults are still showing a contraction although the February number (49.9 PMI – still slightly in contraction) moved up from the 48.3 January disaster. Other problems are arising in the Eurozone as well.  The manufacturing PMI (Purchasing Managers Index) of 49.3 is the lowest since 2013.  The latest U.S. trade deficit number was a record -$79.5 billion.  Exports fell -2.8%. This confirms the weakness in foreign economies. Perhaps the only good news is that Germany did show decent January retail sales growth. That means consumers spent more of their disposable income.