US MARKETS:

-S&P 500 futures down 0.2% to 2,786.50
-Brent Futures down 0.6% to $65.46/bbl
-Gold spot down 0.1% to $1,286.42
-US Dollar Index up 0.05% to 96.92

GLOBAL NEWS:

Earnings season. Legal & General, Brenntag, Just Eat, Andritz, Somfy, Dialog Semiconductor, Manitou and April in Europe. Brown-Forman, Dollar Tree and Fastenal in the United States.

J&J's fast-acting depression drug Is approved. Touted as the most revolutionary treatment of depression since the introduction of fluoxetine (Prozac), Spravato has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is a chemical mirror image of anesthetic ketamine, which is abused as a recreational party drug. Johnson & Johnson says it relieves adult patients of depression resistant to currently available drugs.

On the podium. Bernard Arnault, founder of LVMH, has risen to third place on the world billionaires' podium by replacing Warren Buffett, according to the latest Bloomberg ranking. The financial agency estimates the Frenchman's assets at 83.1 billion dollars.

Thales-Gemalto on track. Good news for Thales: the American authorities have approved the acquisition of Gemalto. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of the month after a lengthy process.

Released. Carlos Ghosn (Nissan) has paid his bail, equivalent to around $8 million, which should allow him to leave his Japanese prison. However, he will remain under close surveillance with a ban on leaving the country. "I am innocent and resolutely determined to defend myself vigorously in a fair trial against these baseless charges," the leader said yesterday in a statement.

Vivendi adds value. As expected, Vivendi disposed of the balance of its remaining Ubisoft shares (5.87%), increasing its capital gain to €1.2 billion after selling all of its 27%. Vivendi had failed to take over the video game specialist, but managed to take control of the former Gameloft mobile games division. And a very big added value anyway.

AB Inbev is looking for a president. The Chairman of the Board of Anheuser-Busch InBev, Thierry Goudet, resigned. A rather unexpected departure, according to specialists. Goudet wants to focus on his executive functions at JAB Holding. His resignation will take effect at the end of the next general meeting scheduled for April 24.

Another disappointment. General Electric fell yesterday on Wall Street after warning that its cash flow will be negative this year in its industrial division. The share closed down by 4.7%, especially since the general manager, Larry Culp, confirmed that the recovery of the energy sector will take several years.

In troubled waters. After the money laundering scandal that hit Nordea, new rumors are circulating in the Netherlands about ABN Amro, ING Groep and Rabobank, as well as in Austria, where the Raiffeisen's share price plunged, after revelations about Russian assets. At the same time, the Fed is considering tightening regulations for foreign institutions, which would be bad news for Deutsche Bank or UBS.

In other news. The resignation of the head of the US Medicines Agency, Scott Gottlieb, is a cause for concern in the biotechnology sector, as he was known to be in favor of innovative therapies. The CEO of Fiat Chrysler does not want to sell Maserati but remains open to alliances or a merger. Delta Air Lines wants to replace a third of its fleet in five years and remains interested in Alitalia. Aon is discussing the acquisition of Willis Towers Watson. The Diesel textile group has filed for bankruptcy. Ferrari will unveil its first hybrid in May. Logitech is holding an investor conference. Knorr-Bremse and Dialog Semiconductor will replace Salzgitter and Schaeffler in the MDax on March 19.