• April 12, the markets fell Wednesday after President Donald Trump took aim at the strength of the U.S. dollar and geopolitical uncertainty continued to rattle investor confidence.
Dow Jones: 20,591.86; -59.44; -0.29%
S&P 500: 2,344.93; -8.85; -0.38%
Nasdaq: 5,836.16; -30.61; -0.52%
• President Trump says that U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's job is safe, but that the U.S. dollar is getting too strong against other currencies around the globe.
• April 13, After clawing its way to modest gains at midday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) took a sharp turn lower on news the U.S. had dropped a " MOAB " -- or "Mother of All Bombs" -- on an Islamic State tunnel target in Afghanistan. This only added to the geopolitical jitters that have kept stocks in check this week, and sent the CBOE Volatility Index ( VIX ) spiking to its highest perch in five months.
Dow Jones: 20,453.25; -138.6; -0.7%
S&P 500: 2,328.95; -16; -0.7%
Nasdaq: 5,805.15; -31; -0.5%
• The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX - 15.96) topped out at a session high of 16.22, before closing up 0.2 point, or 1.2%. On a weekly basis, the market's "fear gauge" surged 24%.
• Futures pointed to a lower open for Asian markets on Monday morning, with investors remaining focused on Korean Peninsula tensions and a barrage of Chinese economic data later in the morning.
• Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand markets are closed for Easter Monday.
Reference: Money Morning, Nasdaq, CNBC
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