The Market On Friday

  Good morning. It is 16 degrees and overcast here in Upstate NY. The weather logos are promising a "warmer" day with temperatures above freezing and mostly above freezing temps in near future days. No matter how you cut it, it still really looks like winter and feels like winter. Yet we know that the party has to end soon, it has to doesn't it? Put another way, winter has overextended it's invitation. Okay, time to leave now winter, just scoot on out of here and see you later.

  At 8:45 a.m. futures are slightly higher and the price per barrel of oil is slightly higher too. The market is poised to open slightly higher.

  If I had to really trim down the concern swarming around Wall Street lately to two words, the words would be - China, Ukraine. We got a mess in the Ukraine with all sorts of temperatures rising among various countries especially in the E.U. over Russia's imperialistic drive and with it all seemingly reaching a head this weekend. Then we have soft economic data out of investor dream economy China. Regardless, it's Friday, so put it to bed and have a great weekend.

CNN: Stocks: Global risks take center stage

Investors are bracing themselves for Sunday's referendum in Crimea...

Recent poor export figures from China and signs that the government may let more companies go to the wall have sparked worries about the pace of growth in the world's second biggest economy.