The Market On Monday

  Good morning. It is 11 degrees and overcast here in Upstate NY. The frigid relentless temperatures continue in the Northeast. What can we say, we cope, we deal with it as best as we can in spite of cabin fever. Personally I'm looking forward to wearing shorts in the summer. Why you might ask? Well having spent the last several months in layers of long johns and lined pants, the old body is drying out. Seriously, is anybody else dealing with ultra dry skin, not just dry by dehydrated dry. One undeniable fact remains, it may be cold but the light is returning as we are now gaining close to 3 minutes of daylight per day - the spring birds are totally into it.

  At 8:35 a.m. ET futures are significantly lower and the price of oil per barrel is significantly higher. The market is poised to tank at the opening bell although some energy stocks might rise.

  This latest market setback is totally related to the crisis in the Ukraine. World markets are tanking and investors are concerned about a disruption in the oil market hence the rising price of oil. On the face of it all, it's a serious crisis. As in all such scenarios we hope that calmer minds will prevail and the road to peacefully settling the mess somehow occurs sooner rather than later.

CNN: Stocks: Hit by rising turmoil in Ukraine

Political risk expert Ian Bremmer from Eurasia Group is calling this (Ukraine) crisis "the most seismic geopolitical events since 9/11."