The Market In 5 Minutes: Cohn Resigns, Blackberry Sues Facebook, Private Sector Job Growth Higher Than Expected

IN THE NEWS

Grayscale Investments, the firm that runs the popular Bitcoin Investment Trust (OTC: GBTC), has announced it’s launching four new funds focused on other popular cryptocurrencies: Link

After nearly two solid years of plotting a strong upward trajectory, TD Ameritrade’s investor Movement Index took its first decisive downturn in February: Link

Gary Cohn will resign from the White House after 14 months serving as President Donald Trump’s top economic adviser, he said Tuesday, days after Trump surprised his senior staff by announcing steel and aluminum tariffs that Cohn had opposed: Link $

Private lenders are pushing to break up the government’s near monopoly in the $100 billion-a-year student-loan market: Link $

BlackBerry Ltd (NYSE: BB) on Tuesday filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Facebook Inc (NASDAQ: FB) and its WhatsApp and Instagram apps, arguing that they copied technology and features from BlackBerry Messenger: Link

Virtual currencies like bitcoin can be regulated as commodities by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a federal judge ruled Tuesday: Link

Some of China’s biggest manufacturers that supply U.S. multinationals from Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) to Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) find themselves in President Donald Trump’s cross hairs as his administration discusses new import tariffs: Link

ECONOMIC DATA

• ADP Employment Change for Feb 235.0K vs 195.0K Est; Prior 234.0K
• Nonfarm Productivity (QoQ) for Q4 0.00% vs -0.10% Est; Prior -0.10%
• US Trade Balance For January -$56.6B vs. -$55.0B Est
• The Energy Information Administration’s weekly report on petroleum inventories is schedule for release at 10:30 a.m. ET.
• The Federal Open Market Committee will release its Beige Book report at 2:00 p.m. ET.
• Data on consumer credit for January will be released at 3:00 p.m. ET.

ANALYST RATINGS

• Morgan Stanley Upgrades Synovus (NYSE: SNV) from Equal-Weight to Overweight
• Stifel Downgrades Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) Buy to Hold
• BMO Downgrades International Paper (NYSE: IP) from Outperform to Market Perform

This is a tool used by the Benzinga News Desk each trading day — it’s a look at everything happening in the market, in five minutes. To get the full version of this note every morning, click here.