TheStreet TV

European bourses rose gently in morning trading on Wednesday, as concern over the crisis in Crimea began to fade, while hopes rose in the Eurozone of further European Central Bank easing. The U.K. government's near-$7billion sale of over 7% of Lloyds Banking Group weighed on the banking sector, but insurers rose on some canny fund management and pension management deals.

Facebook strikes another big deal to get it into the virtual reality space -- and a potential gaming play, as well. We preview the IPO of King Digital Entertainment -- is the maker of wildly popular game Candy Crush the next Zynga, or the real deal? And Jim Cramer has a play in the cloud he's bullish on for long term growth. Jon Marino reports from the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square.

Markets closed higher Tuesday amid the release of housing data which underscored the ongoing economic recovery despite being slightly below expectations. M & A activity continues a pace with Walt Disney agreeing to acquire Maker Studios, a leading network of online video content on YouTube, for $500 million. Traders have refocused on economic data as geopolitical risks such as Ukraine and the outlook for Chinese growth are digested by investors. Jane Searle speaks with Mark Newton at the NYSE.

The biotechnology sector has seen considerable selling over the past two weeks, setting up today's recovery. Keith Bliss of Cuttone & Co. expects the market will be range bound until there is more evidence to determine which direction to take. Consumer confidence isn't matching up to weak retail sales and new home home sales reports aren't matching up to recent reports from home builders. He expects the first quarter earnings will give the market the direction it craves.

The Walt Disney Co. is making a move to mobile--the mouse is buying Maker Studios, in a deal that could approach nearly $1 billion in total value. Earnings coming today from Carnival, Walgreen Co. and PVH Corp.--can retailers plow their way out of a tough winter? And Jim Cramer says he's buying in bulk--today's Action Alerts pick comes from the aisles of a leading American retailer. March 14, 2014 at the Nasdaq Marketsite in Times Square.

Markets closed lower Monday on poor manufacturing data from the U.S. and China while biotech stocks continued their dive - suffering their worst two-day fall since 2011. Questions have been raised over the prices some biotechs charge for drugs while concerns are rising around valuations in the sector. Fund mangers are also concerned at the prospect of recession in Russia after sanctions imposed for its incursion into Ukraine's Crimea. Jane Searle speaks with Jason Weisberg at the NYSE.

Stocks reversed course from the morning and tumbled as the NASDAQ led the selling. Mark Newton, Chief Technician at Greywolf says momentum stocks like Netflix and Tesla are losing their 'gogo' steam. As a result, these high flying tech names faltered, bringing most of the NASDAQ with it. The major indices have followed suit, although the selling isn't as pronounced. Newton is looking at the Russell 1000 for signs as to whether the selling will pick up steam.

There won't be any big earnings news this week, but we've got more than a dozen IPOs on the way, including the maker of Candy Crush. And, Herbalife is taking directors from Carl Icahn's camp as it prepares to fend off activist investor Bill Ackman. Apple is reportedly in talks for a big cable deal, and Jim Cramer is making a bet on a social network that's up more than 20 percent this year.

Quadruple witching options expiration day is upon us and that has caused the volume at the New York Stock Exchange to skyrocket. That, combined with a drop in volatility, has driven values higher for the major indices. Rockwell Capital Economist Peter Cardillo expects the market to continue trading in a range, but closer to the high end of the range. He also points out that the sanctions against Russia caused its stock market to tank, but that Europe and Asia did not follow suit.

Western European stock indices rise, but Russian stocks are battered as the standoff over Crimea escalates and the U.S. and European Union widen sanctions against Russian officials and company executives. And in Paris Bouygues fires a new shot in the battle for Vivendi¿s SFR wireless services unit in a bid to derail exclusive talks between the seller and Numericable. It is offering more cash but will Vivendi bite?

Markets reversed early losses to close higher after the release of solid forward economic indicators and manufacturing data. Stocks were trending lower early in the session after the Federal Reserve brought forward expectations for when it may raise interest rates. Bank stocks such as JP Morgan preformed well, with some speculation that capital releases after upcoming stress tests may further buoy the sector, which has lagged the broader market so far this year.

The Philadelphia Fed's manufacturing gauge rose to 9.0 for March, a strong reversal from last month's negative 6.3. A strong quarter from Lennar Homes and positive comments about new orders for the spring also encouraged buyers to enter the picture. Ben Willis from Albert Fried says the U.S. market was 'the cleanest shirt in the closet.' He believes the U.S. economy is leading the rest of the world in a recovery from the global financial crisis.

Before you fill out your March Madness bracket, be sure you're not missing out on any of this morning's earnings reports, including Burlington Stores, Guess, and Lennar. Lennar is looking to match KB Home's earnings surprise on homes sales. Jim Cramer has a PBM play he says is set to see long-term growth and catch strong 2014 tailwinds on the Affordable Care Act. March Madness starts at the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square.

European and Asian indices follow U.S. markets lower on Thursday after comments from Federal Reserve boss Janet Yellen pointed to earlier-than-expected rate rises from the world¿s most powerful central bank. Corporate news took a generally positive tone, with clothing retailer Next, insurer Munich RE and major Wal-Mart vendor Li & Fung all up after posting full-year results. But Danish machinery company FLSmidth is knocked by a broker downgrade.

Markets closed lower Wednesday after the Fed's policy statement raised the prospect of interest rates rising sooner than expected. The bank announced a $10 billion cut in its monthly bond purchases, as expected. But rate projections were lifted - the median forecast now puts rates at 1% by the end of 2015 from 0.75 per cent late last year, and 2.25% by 2016. A jobless target of 6.5% before rates were hiked, was also dropped. Individual stocks such as First Solar and KB Home still jumped.