SUNDAY 3/16/14; Crimea Secession Vote

The homes of the pilots are searched as authorities look for clues concerning the ongoing missing Flight 370 airplane mystery. The world is enthralled by this Amelia Earhart-type aviation disaster. The famous and heroic female aviator Earhart mysteriously disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 and was never found. Authorities believe the troubled Flight 370 was in the air for seven hours and can be anywhere in Asia if it landed. Concern grows that the airplane may be used for terrorism in the future since no sign of wreckage is found.

The Crimea referendum vote begins but everyone knows the result will be for a secession from Ukraine and annexation to the Russian Federation. There are 1.5 million voters on Crimea and about 60% are ethnic Russian. Violence increases in eastern Ukraine as pro-Russian protestors take control of government buildings. Ukraine is splitting into pro-European  and pro-Russian sides; creating the seeds for civil war. Russia claims to have shot down a drone over Crimea. Defense Secretary Hagel, Secretary of State Kerry, President Obama and other members of the National Security Council converge on the Whitehouse to address the Ukraine turmoil. The stock market will be waiting for the sanctions announcement from the West and G7 tomorrow.

Honda recalls 900K 2005-2016 Odyssey minivans on concerns they may catch fire. Fuel pump parts to complete the fix are not available until summer time. Chrysler recalls 18K Fiats due to a faulty transmission shifter. Thousands, and now over one million vehicles, are recalled by major auto manufacturers in recent weeks.

At 2 PM EST, the Crimea polls close and thousands are waiting in the streets to hear word of the results. Russian troops move north from Crimea deeper into Ukraine by at least six miles. Putin is bussing pro-Russian demonstrators and agitators over to western Ukraine to create trouble and chaos. This provides an excuse for Putin to invade Ukraine under the guise of protecting the Russian people; the same feeble, Nazi-like, reason that he used to invade Crimea....




[Text is Redacted: Purchase March 2014-03 to Read the Complete Chronology]

The Crimea referendum results in a 95% vote in favor of secession as expected. Crowds celebrate in the streets and fireworks light the sky.

Dollar/yuan 6.15. Indian Rupee spot 61.1744. Dollar/yen 101.31. S&P futures -5. Dow -50. Aussie dollar 0.9018. Euro 1.3904. Pound 1.6630. The lower dollar/yen causes the weakness in the US futures. The 10-year Treasury yield is 2.66%. Gold 1381. Silver 21.34. Copper is weak. Crude oil inventories continue rising so prices remain soft with WTIC at 98.92 and Brent oil at 107.86.