US MARKETS:

-S&P 500 futures down 0.4% to 2,604.00
-Brent futures down 0.7% to $60.92/bbl
-Gold spot little changed at $1,293.94
-U.S. Dollar Index little changed at 96.10

GLOBAL NEWS:

Apple on a diet. Apple is reported to have put the foot down on hiring staff after its disappointing sales in the last quarter of 2018, according to well-informed sources cited by Bloomberg.

Sears will live. Reuters reports suggest that Sears Holdings president Eddie Lampert won an auction for the chain's takeover by offering $5.2 billion.

CRJ in the spotlight. Bombardier is considering all possible options for its CRJ regional aircraft program, which is still in deficit. Management expects a decision in 2019. The Canadian had already been forced to part with his CSeries jet program, sold to Airbus and renamed the A220.

Anger networks. The Wall Street Journal reports that U.S. federal prosecutors have officially opened an investigation into Huawei, which could quickly lead to charges. His compatriot ZTE is also in the sights of American parliamentarians.

The post-Ghosn period. The rumor is confirmed: the French Minister of the Economy has announced that the government has initiated the process for Renault's Board of Directors to replace Carlos Ghosn. In Japan, the manager's lawyer appealed against his client's refusal to grant bail.

Société Générale warns. The bank has warned that its performance in the fourth quarter of 2018 will be affected by two main factors, the application of IFRS 5, and a sharp drop in its income on the capital market. Societe Generale intends to propose a stable dividend with the option to pay in shares.

Made in America. Thanks to its future Mobile plant in Alabama, Airbus will start assembling A220 aircraft in the third quarter. The line is located on the same site where the A320s for the US market are assembled. The first A220 produced in Mobile will be delivered in 2020.

Cross-border marriage. According to Bloomberg and Reuters, European banking regulators would prefer to see the two largest German banks, Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank, find a pan-European solution rather than a rapprochement between them.

Veto or no veto? Berlin believes that a marriage between Alstom and Siemens Mobility is essential to maintain the competitiveness of the European rail industry. The EU antitrust authorities are expected to rule on the transaction by February 18, but the latest indications raised concerns about a veto, given the risk to competition in some European states. In parallel, Alstom published its latest quarterly reports this morning.

In other news. The major American banks are shining on Wall Street after their results. Norwegian Air is reducing the sail area. The FDA is considering an extension of the indication for Roche's Tecentriq. Standard & Poor's assigns a BBB+ to Lonza.