and also that's a leveraged bear etf to tell you about and also power shares global gold, and it is trading in the green now. she tried to say it, ty. >> that will do it for a rough thursday on "power lunch," sue. >> "street signs" picks it up right now. . and like that, whew -- the year's gains for the s&p are gone. stocks are down big. apparently the germans are to blame. yeah. weeg serious. we'll tell you why. hi, everybody. mandy and brian here with you today. also today, has amazon.com just made the smartest move of its corporate life? has gm made the dumbest move of its corporate life? and the smartest move the republicans can make with the president's latest push to raise pay. mandy? >> hello, everybody. 65 -- no. not the age i want to retire. that is the number of positive

points that the dow here had earlier on the session. what a turnaround, as brian is saying. down by 209 points at one point. we're now down by 178. in fact, guys, we are seeing the big evidence drops in the major averages, the dow, s&p and nasdaq since february 3rd. the dow, in fact, now on track for its first four-day losing streak since late january. the nasdaq, careening towards a biggest weekly drop since august of last year and with today's losses all averages in the red for the month of march. we're seeing green at the bottom of the screen. in particular, gold. look at this. sitting around a six-month high. down to bob pisani at the nyse. working out what it was that sped thaup big reversal, bob. seemed more pronounced around the europe close. one of our friends of the show, matt, saying we really need to focus more on the german dax. why the german dax? it closed down nearly 2% and saying a strong correlation

between the spx and the dax in recent years. particularly since the 2009 lows. is it germany, that's hurting us? >> i don't think germany, but i have been mentioning all morning, since the close, germany at a one-month low, the economic leader and bellwether in europe. what you want to watch. i don't think you're far off, but i don't think germany is the cause. there are economic and geopolitical issues begin wig china. the main reason. very poo economic numbers out of china. then the concerns in the ukraine. the acting president sees a risk are war with russia. reports russia fired on a ukrainian plane over the crimea. these reports came out in the middle of the day. just off of the lows of today. this is an intraday of the s&p 500. also, mandy, how this plays out with international investors is important. particularly on china here. here's what goes on. when china weakens like we've seen recently investors repatriot for investment, particularly for the japanese and u.s.

both repatriate money. both bar eing yen overseas to buy stuff elsewhere have to cover that trade. what does cover mean? you buy the yen and sell stocks. you can see this in the action today. put up the yen, int trap day basis of the yen, e sue what's going on here as this is going don. meaning the yen is strengthening. dollars to yen. so the yen has been strengthening all day and stocks look at the dxj, the japanese stock exchange. the etf you buy here in the u.s., and, of course, this is hedged to currency and you can see, japanese stocks down much more than our market. that's what's been going on throughout the date. the major sectors here finally. you see all the risk what we used call risk on s&p tech, industrials, consumer discretionary and energy all to the down side. mandy? >> bob, thank you so much for xplarpi explaining all that. michelle ka caruso-cabrera, comments from draghi of the ecp. how is that moving markets? >> hitting the euro today falling sharply after seeing the text of the speech he'll make in

vienna. he says even though the risks of inflation are quite limited, the ecb has been preparing additional non-standard monetary policy measures to guard against such a contingency and that it stands ready to take further decisive action. here's the back story. the inflation data in europe has been quite weak. to some people it's been frightening. there's concerns about whether there will be full-on deflation or a prolonged period of low inflation. one week ago, mario draghi held a news conference and did not acknowledge any of those fears and did not talk about any kind of additional policy measures, which might be lie quantitative easing. so that day the euro shot up sharply. now today he's far more dovish saying they could do additional policy measures in order to combat and acknowledge the obligate of prolonged low inflation. that's why the euro is getting hit at this point in the trading session. >> michelle, thank you very much. so what does this all mean

to you? bring in david nelson, dan greenhouse, and okay, dan. i'm confused. maybe simply not that bright. because here's the thing. if draghi is saying we're going to print, right, because we have -- no inflation, and we would like some. shouldn't that be stimulative tore the economy and thus stocks, b, bad for bonds and thus good for stocks? no? >> well, first of all, i don't, my interpretation of that is not saying we're going to print. i think he's reiterating a long-standing position. 's in theory, there's always more to do as long as there are assets that have a yield and there's air to breathe central bankers could always quote/unquote do more. the question, whether they're going to. i'm not so sure that there's -- imminency to anything other than maybe an additional rate cut. we thought that reduce rates at the last meeting. they did not. certainly with a euro up close to 140, a level breached only a few times in the postcrisis era, the pressure would, in thir, to

be lower the exchange rate. >> i would like to know what you think about this and also certainly the fact that in this globalized world what happens over seas, whether in china or what happens in europe as well, the way it affects the u.s. investor, what do you do? >> well i think you look at -- you know a major currency like the euro that starts to tummal causing fear in the market. i wondered coming in what was causing the sell-off. i hadn't heard that. i think you brought up another point. what's going on in china? and you've got an opaque society. numbers we're getting out, we don't know how bad it is. a bond default, we don't know if there will be dozens more. coming into the weekend, who know what's mr. putin will do as we approach the weekend. a lot of fear in heere and obviously selling. >> you can't trust what's happening in china all the time. overnight on cnbc asia saying the real growth rate in china is probably half of what it is now. maybe talking about 4%. >> mark has been saying that a long time.

that's the name of his newsletter. >> highlighting the point, why today, dan? right? this stuff is not new. >> listen, this morning there was obviously, not breaking news here. stories of an escalation, troops amassing onhe border in russia and ukraine. during the covers the day, reports of shots fired. in my experience with respect to bgie's clients people are on edge what's going on in russia. from a portfolio allocation and strategy, this is the type of stuff you're supposed to look through. if the last three, four years taught us anything, it's that these types of opportunities, should they xas exacerbate a chloer stock price, turn out to be buying opportunities assuming a path of earnings expect aces is unchanged or diminished modestly. that's likely what's going to happen here. >> does the make the art of stock picking more important, david? >> i think it does and brings up a case in point. first i do agree with dan, what

he's saying, but we have boots on the ground in the ukraine now. that's important to note. but i think -- things are setting up for stock pickers now and i'll be the first to admit over the last five years it's been very difficult of a place to be to be a professional portfolio manager. the fed' quantitative ease be, risk on/risk off scenario lifted all boats. >> which added fire to those who say, don't try to pick stocks. it's stupid. >> all right, but -- >> buy a low-cost -- by the way, that's why you were on today and called it audible because of the draghi comments. >> look forward. important point. look at the s&p 500. most indices are market cap weighted. look at the top 20 name. 3% of the index. 30% of the performance. a lot of dead wood in the 20 names. a time when you had to own apple. frankly, you don't need to own apple now. the top 20 name, exxon, chevron, two battle ships in the oil patch, difficult to turn around.

walmart. already know retail sales what they're doing. other than google and facebook, not a lot of action. it's below the surface. >> you're calling apple and verizon like dead money. we'll get you back on to talk about what you were actually here for. >> thanks, appreciate it. less talk retail. because something a bit odd seems to be happening in the group. look at which companies have the best returns year to date. barnes & noble, rite aid, cigna jewelers and even abercrombie and fitch. with all due trop those companies and their employee, not exactly the usual suspects of outperformance. biggest losers so far this year, staples, container stores as well. what is going on here? jan rodgers inherited david nelson's spot and body. good to see you as well. i'm not bashing. rite aid had problems years ago. stock's done well. jewelry stores face tough times. cigna stock, okay. what do you make of the older

schools, barnes & noble, leading the retail charge? >> i say when you quit shooting yourself in the foot things get better. if you're somebody like barnes & noble, you've decided to pull back from nook, do what you do. you're doing more games, educational toys. that stuff. that helps your stock for a while. because you're not doing the things that were damaging your stock, like giving awayate of money on the nook. but i don't they changes the fact you're in the most competitive place in the world and the internet will be a big problem going forward. another good kashgs rite aid. i like them because they're in the right spot. the affordable care act will help them. a huge component of their store, i think 65%, in states where med xaid is g caid is getting expanded and not -- more runway than walgreens, right? >> because they were -- >> weren't running as well. now they've got an opportunity. yes. you can win two ways. best in class, or you can be really bad getting better. >> any of those names that brian mentioned you would chase that you think have further to run?

>> i still think rite aid does. >> a 22 cent stock in '89. >> barnes & noble i don't. in general, no. i look at these -- >> abercrombie & fitch? >> i like the jewelry area. they're there. we'll never know. they've done the deal with zale's own the mall. until they get digital working really well, it's hard to get excited about it. right? no. i am not excited about the rest of them. i think they're doing the right things but i think the world's figered it out. >> okay. high some things in my head but i've already talked to much. >> we're being told to shut up and need to go on. thank you for that, jan. elsewhere in retail land, amson saying it will hike the prifs its prime service byes 20ds, to $99 a year. current prime subscribers might be humming over weather not the services really worth $100 a year. even though i should add the price is not been increased since the service began in 2005.

could this be a good thing for amazon? talk it over with raymond james and aaron kessler. i just did a little scientific survey taking myself, by putting out a twitter poll saying, will you cancel your service now that it's going to cost $20? everything person who replied without exception said absolutely not. it anything buy more from amazon to make it worth it. that's got to be good for the company? >> i would agree. if you looked at amazon it's not raised prime pricing, they've said, in over nine years, and if you think about increased shipping costs over that time period as well as the significantly increased utilization of users of amazon prime service, $20 increase does not sound like a lot over a nine-year period. >> aaron i think -- my humble opinion, this is the smartest move that amazon.com has ever made. tell you why. for years it was market share, market share, market share

october the expense of prof at the expense of profit. we're a grown-up company. maybe we care about making money? >> i agree. i think this is one move they've also increased warehouses productivi productivity. moving warehouses closer to end user, lowering shipping costs. that's a move in that direction. over the last six months you have seen other measures by amazon to move in the direction of increased profitability. you'll see that over the next couple of years. 50 basis points margin expanse 2014 over 1157 and margin in 2015. >> apropos mandy's street poll. will they lose customers? remember netflix, raised prices? we're done with that company. nobody quit. they gained subscribers. will they lose subscribers? >> i don't think so. they put out an increase on the loeter end of that, q4 callship frisk they went to $40 now for an increase, but at $20, given

the significant usage of people using amazon, i don't think they lose users on a $20 increase. >> what's happening with shipping costs quickly. they revealed shipping costs, surged 19% in of the third quarter of last year. are they getting higher and higher? >> long-term shipping continues to increase obviously given fuel prices. we've seen that over the last few years. on the other hand they're looking to reduce shipping costs moving closer to the end user. fresh dliv rip for the grocery service. using their own trucks for that. making some measures to move closer to the end user which should help offset rising shipping costs overall. >> they should just buy the post office? >> maybe do that longer term there you go. thank you, aaron, very much. gm in crisis. what the company and its new ceo need to do to take back control of that massive recall. also live at the white house where in a few minutes' time from now president obama will make a move to revamp overtime roles here in america.

the question we have, though, can american business afford it? and the dow is down 200 points, dom. told you a few minutes ago, utilities only sector in the green, the we're scared let's buy safe stocks that have a dividend trade. see if this continues, folks. big day for the dow. down 196. we're back after this. joe wood. and his new boss told him two things -- cook what you love, and save your money. joe doesn't know it yet, but he'll work his way up from busser to waiter to chef before opening a restaurant specializing in fish and game from the great northwest. he'll start investing early, he'll find some good people to help guide him, and he'll set money aside from his first day of work to his last, which isn't rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade.

it's just common sense. it's amanda. hey sweetie. what? [phones rings] okay, i'll send it. one hundred seventy-two dollars for a chemistry book, what is it, made of gold? just use citi popmoney.

boom. ah, she's feeling lucky. hey sweetie...cancun, yeah no, you'll be spending spring break with your new chemistry book. with citi popmoney it's easy to send money to just about anyone, anytime. visit your local branch or citi.com/easierbanking to learn more. .

the yellow metal might be a six-month lies. the other not doing well. sliding again today. in fact it is down over 13%. since the start of this year alone, it all has to do with first of all the fears and now, brian, confirmed signs of a chinese slowdown. copper now at its weakest level since july of 2010. you can see down 1.5% today. as for the dow, watching it slide. remember, talking about the big reversal. up 65 points beginning of the day. now down about 200 points. the worst day for these markets here in the states since february 3rd, the worst week for the nasdaq since august of last year. brian? >> thank you. now it's been six days since the malaysian air jet went missing. despite massive speculation every day, investigators have little real information on exactly what happened. overnight, even more confusion. let's get now to phil lebeau with the latest. >> that confusion brought by the fact of a report overnight. we've seen other reports today

suggesting that perhaps data coming from the engines indicated this plane flew another four hours. upto speed on the latest on that story and others. i'm not sure i'll provide a lot of clarity. the u.s. navy is sending a ship to the indian ocean. at the white house briefing they indicated there's new information may suggest that's where the mh 370 finally ended up. there are conflicting reports about whether or not the engines continued sending data after the last contact between the plane and air traffic control. at this point, malaysia says no. there are reports indicating rolls-royce was getting information. all possibilities are still being considered. the malaysian government says it is not scaling back the search for this plane, but keep in mind, no debris or evidence of mh 370 who been found over the last six days and one more time. show you that search area, because it has broadened out considerably. there's where the plane was last in contact. that circle around there is where it might be, if you believe the story that it was

still in contact, or still sending out signals and flying four hours afterwards. again that story is being disputed by the malaysian government. sully? >> literally like trying to find a needle in a haystack. >> it is. >> the other story, the massive gm recall. what's the latest? >> there's still more questions on capitol hill regarding what general motors knew when did they know it and whan did the national highway administration know? general motors issued a new report last night indicating the timeline when it first got an indication of problems involving the ignition keys for the saturn ion and other vehicles. actually 2001. not 2004, as the company initially reported when it announced this recall. and this brings up the question -- did nhtsa, the national highway traffic administration, did the feds wait too long before they did something? there were three accident investigations more than 240 complaints over tern years and nhtsa is warning owners, if you're going to drive these cars

use only the keys with nothing else on the keychain except maybe the key fob. the department of transportation secretary anthony foxx on capitol hill today defending how his agency handled this investigation. >> there were three crash investigations that nhtsa went forward with. the results of those investigations were inconclusive. now, a question that we are asking is whether, and why -- whether there was a timeliness issue with gm's bringing it to our attention the issues regarding this ignition switch. it is our belief that had we known that there was an issue, that might have changed the outcome of those initial crash investigations. >> take a look at shares of general motors over the last six months. calls this up, because the last time we saw shares at this level, right around 34, back in october. overall over the last six months the stock is down more than 5%.

mandy, back to you. >> phil, thank you for the update. our question is, what does gm need to do to protect its image? bring in partners chris malone. we've seen with various companies problems in the past that consumers can be remarkably forgiving if the company handles the problems swiftly, honorably and in good faith. is gm doing that right now? >> so far, not so much. we really believe this is a golden opportunity for both gm and their new ceo to build stronger loyalty, stronger brand loyalty with customers if they embrace this as an opportunity to show that they really are going to put the best interests of their customers first. so far it looks like they're allowing that to slip through their fingers. >> mary barra inherited the problem, to turn this into a opportunity to come out swinging. is they doing that? what kind of score out of ten would you give her? >>ite now kind of a three or four at best. she's staying behind the scenes choosing to manage the

addressing of the recall with her team. declining media requests and interview requests and i think it's a missed opportunity for her to step out in front, put a face on this company that is mostly been a faceless monolith to customers and demonstrate what the company will be like under her leadership and make it easier for people to know her intentions and how it will be had r handled both for customers and employees. >> longtime trouble for gm, chris? >> could be. it all depends how they handle it. the toyota fiasco in 2010 is a great model. mandy referenced, we conducted deep research. consumers remarkably forgiving. he understand mistakes happen even at well-run companies. depends how transparent they are in handling if. a legal liability show through and customerless pull back. toyota lost 24% of markets here in a single year based and how in handled it. the spotlight is on them now and

time will tell. >> time will. thanks. dow at session lows. look at the worst performers on the s&p 500 now. in case you're wondering, they are noble korngs the driller. phillips-van heusen, shirtmaker. saleses force.com, cloud based company and another driller diamond offshore. not a big trend among the worst. if the markets mirror rabsey has you down do not logon. we'll explain. and stock pickers. the way to make money is through booze, butts and burritburritos. >> announcer: hard money is sponsored by wisdom tree. to learn more visit wisdomtree.com. (announcer) scottrade knows our clients trade and invest their own way. with scottrade's smart text, i can quickly

understand my charts, and spend more time trading. their quick trade bar lets my account follow me online so i can react in real-time. plus, my local scottrade office is there to help. because they know i don't trade like everybody. i trade like me. i'm with scottrade. (announcer) ranked highest in investor satisfaction with self-directed services by j.d. power and associates. for tapping into a wealth of experience.

♪ for access to one of the top wealth management firms in the country. ♪ for a team of financial professionals who provide customized solutions. for all of your wealth management and retirement goals, discover how pnc wealth management can help you achieve. visit pnc.com/wealthsolutions to find out more. could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.s everybody knows that. well, did you know that when a tree falls in the forest and no one's around, it does make a sound? ohhh...ugh. geico. little help here. i need>>that's my geico digital insurance id card - gots all my pertinents on it and such. works for me. turn to the camera. >>ah, actually i think my eyes might ha... next! digital insurance id cards. just a tap away on the geico app.

you are looking at live pictures of the east roochlt white house where president obama is making a big push to modernize overtime pay. bring in eamon javers. what are we expecting to hear out of this? >> hi, mandy. we're expecting the president is going to push hard for employers to be required to pay overtime for a whole different category of americans, possibly affecting millions of americans both in terms of the threshold of pay at which the you have to pay overtime as an employer and the

types of employment to pay overtime for. there's been a so-called white collar exemption for years and years. the president wants to change that. wants to get more money into the pockets of workers. a big election year push, mandy. >> all right. so -- are we expecting this to happen? is this just done, ayman, or -- i know congress is getting involved but a sure bet? >> well, it's a sure bet they're going to try. how's that? over at department of labor. there are regulations that the executive branch can change. the white house says they can change them unilaterally. a long bureaucratic process involved doing this. it's not like the president will snap his fingers here at this east roomy vent and this is suddenly going to have happened by the end of the day today. they have to go through requests for comment, a bureaucratic process. at the end of that, though, do it without congress weighing in and feel confident that's their strategy going into this election year, not likely to get a lot done up on capitol hill. the white house trying to show here the messaging around this is that the white house supports

the middle class, supports workers and wants to get money in the pockets of voters who have been so hard-hit by the downturn and slow recovery. >> eamon javers, thank you for keeping ut updated. the president, still speaking live at the white house. still ahead, herb ringing the alarm on this name a while. today the stock is down big time. the name and why coming up. and close watch on what the markets are up to today. nasdaq, worst day since august. biggest loserses, by dew, alumina, monster beverage and micron technology. three stocks moving higher including amazon. talking about that a moment ago.

ameriprise asked people a simple question: in retirement, will you outlive your money? uhhh. no, that can't happen. that's the thing, you don't know how long it has to last. everyone has retirement questions. so ameriprise created the exclusive.. confident retirement approach. now you and your ameripise advisor can get the real answers you need.

well, knowing gives you confidence. start building your confident retirement today.

there are stocks higher, mostly defensive names like utilities, centerpoint energy. cnp, a rare bright spot up 2.4%. >> okay. let's move along and "street talk." start with two very different calls, brine, two video gamemakers. from a buy to neutral. >> target up as well. downgraded electronics arts as

well. a little different dlacall betw the two. >> cigna aldrich. interesting calls from yesterday. slightly higher, nonetheless interesting. >> after the analyst, a $103 target. ubs says sell with an $86 target. 10% less than the stock stands now. >> stock three. retailer finish line a lift today even after already having a pretty hot year. >> upgraded from buy to neutral. see's upside target, $33. $6 more than the stock is now. >> and higher on a down day, getting a lift from piper jeffrey. >> boosted to 97 from 82. of course, the stockal already above 82 up another 3% today about $$13 of upside. mobile payments. >> end in an under the radar pick. today is home and hotel.

a nice price target boost from green capital, but the stock is down 11%. >> well, china concerns. based on the name you wouldn't know, not necessarily a china-based company, it is. a hotel operator based out of shanghai. raising its targeted. tough day for that. from 54 to 50. 50% upside to the current price. seeing expansion of all the chinese stocks names, they're down because of my macro concern. let's talk more about the markets bringing in oppenheimer's. what is the cause of today's sell-o sell-off? >> today the market was looking for a catalyst after we pulled back records in the s&p 500 last week and the mid-cap s&p 400 and russell 2000. that said, president putin and his in-roads into the ukraine anden into crimea offered that as well as the industrial production numbers and retail numbers out of china today.

>> is there anything there in terms of reasoning why the market might have dropped, john, you see would give us reason to drop even further over multiple days or weeks, or is this a one-day wonder? >> mandy, this could be easily a one-day wonder. if we get another good piece of data tomorrow, if we get some kind of relief, related to the ukraine situation. or, noor matter, if we get a piece of data out of china that looks better than expected. all of this looks like all part and parcel of what is political, geopolitical issues that are alive and kicking and problematic as well as china turning a large vote around. >> those things, john, will exist tomorrow. why would this be a one-day wonder? >> it could be just on data. this market is changing like the weather does. as i recall, yesterday it was almost summertime in new york, and today, gosh, it's like the deep freeze. >> thank you very much for joining us, john. of course, we'll keep an eye on what the market are up to at

this point. s&p down about 1%. what do investors do when they are nervous? right? look at today. sell stock, buy gold. global sell-off helping gold hit a six-month high. today's gold, really a safe bet? let us talk numbers on the chart. rich ross on fundamentals. welcome him back in and risk reversal.com. great to see you back. begin with pup gold has been doing well this year, but it is it a medium term parking space or the start of a new bull run for gold? >> i don't think a start of a new bull run. three quick reasons why. first, silver, which is generally the faster, quicker brother of gold is actually been lagging severely over the last month -- which i think is a bad sign for gold going forward. second, the u.s. dollar has been a big tail wind for gold because the dollar's going down. european central banks doesn't want the euro going up from here. it might hurt gold going forward and third, the commodity is up

15% over the last three months. a huge month. three months ago nobody liked it. now everybody likes it. generally a good sell signal. >> nonetheless, people invest in gold to different reasons. silver is much more industrially tied. gold in times of trouble. what are they telling us particularly with this commodity around six-month highs? what does the chat say it could go from here? >> gold continues to benefit from a myriad of technical and microtechnical factors continuing to make it a buy. bring up the chart. why we could get as high as 15.50. here beginning with the double bottom textbook are pap nice head and shoulders reversal. that propels us back above the 200-day moving average and key support resistance at 13.50. that has set us up once we get through the trend line here back from that 2012 high for a test of 1420. from there i think we're looking at a more compelling base breakout which could actually

propel us all the way back up to that 1550. that's at 61% retracement of that entire decline. keep in mind, the russian market, on verge of a collapse. gold is where you want to be under exactly those type of macrocan circumstances. a trading buy and could be the start of a new bull run here. >> wow. a big call on the russian market. great have you back on. we know it's been under fire this year. thank you both very much for joining us. 1550, where rich is looking for for gold. check out the online edition of "talking numbers." up next, proof that facebook may be putting you in a bad mood. and later, talking -- food. booze. which is not like the others? two analysts delivering top picks from one of the biggest retail conferences of the year. first, check in on the closing

bell. like you, mandy, keeping an eye on the markets. dow down 200 points head into the crucial final hour. final coverage coming up. plus joined by two key players in the cnbc council. >> one of the bright spots in a down market, williams-sonoma. stock up 10% following an earnings beat. the ceo will join us to talk about that coming up. >> live at the top of the hour, guys. don't go anywhere. >> see you then. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 trading inspires your life. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 life inspires your trading. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 where others see fads... tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 ...you see opportunities. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 at schwab, we're here to help tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 turn inspiration into action. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 we have intuitive platforms tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 to help you discover what's trending.

tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 and seasoned market experts to help sharpen your instincts. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 so you can take charge tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 of your trading. at afraud could meanuld blower credit scores. and higher mortgage rates. it's a problem waiting to happen. check your credit score, check your credit report at experian.com.

(voseeker of the sublime.ro. you can separate runway ridiculousness... from fashion that flies off the shelves. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle... and go. and only national is ranked highest in car rental customer satisfaction by j.d. power. (natalie) ooooh, i like your style. (vo) so do we, business pro. so do we. go national. go like a pro. afghanistan, in 2009. orbiting the moon in 1971. [ male announcer ] once it's earned, usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection. and because usaa's commitment to serve current and former military members and their families

is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. just off session lows for the dow. expected for half the loss, visa. i'm ibm, american express and visa. check out the vix, yes, up 10% but still below 16 to 15.94. not a giant spike. >> world acceptance corps tanking today down, down about 20% last time i checked after news they received a civil

investigative demand from the consumer protection bureau. not the kind you want. herb, you flagged this particular stock, and maybe some warnenings about it. what? a couple of years ago? are the chickens coming out of the roost? >> in july of 2013. on cnbc.com and on "street signs," and what we talked about there was the question. right at the top of the story is, could the cfpb actually getting up and going take a look at a company like this? charge up to 200% or so on, on their installment loans. these are installment loans to poor people, and so you take a look at what they're doing and say, my goodness. what's taken them so long? >> actually july 19th. i remember, because that's my birthday. two years ago. the thing herb, you're always right longer term, generally are, but the stock, as you might say, $12 above even with today's drop, where it was back then. >> and what's interesting is that during that period of time, the company kept levering off

its balance sheet taking on more debt to buy back more shares to keep the stock elevated. that's one interpretation. at the same time, you had management just really just putting a ton of stock into the buyback and at the same time late last year the president's the company and chief financial officer of the company both departed. so you start taking a look at it and say, you know, the stock's gone up. one of these elevated stocks's in market like this, brian, it gets to that point of, these are frothy stocks. they're held up, but markets like this, these are the kind that will, again, if the short sellers have been squeezed out, boom. down in a vacuum. >> all right. this is, i think, the most short stock out there. herb greenberg. >> thank you very much. >> no, no. talk about facebook with herb. stick around for two seconds, herb. >> okay. >> facebook, can put new a bad mood. get this pap report by the group plos, not plus, found your

friends post negative updates or news you are likely to post something more negative. same is true on the upside for happy posts as well. do you buy it, herb? >> well, that may be for many people, and i suspect -- look, herd mentality is everywhere. not just in the stock market. it's in social media. that's what makes contrarians a little different. i think when you look at something, there's probably some truth to it. you see people piling on. i see it in streaming and news feed on twitter. >> i certainly feel down when i see my friends posting pictures of like -- when i'm in a windowless news room. why i'm not on facebook. thank you, herb greenberg. and a reversal in stocks around the european close. s&p down 1%, down 204%, not far from the lows of the day. nasdaq down nearly 1.5%. so we're going to keep an eye on

what is going on in the markets all the way to the close today. we are on it. meantime, cut five picks from two of the top food and consumer analysts around. we're going to be talking burritos, factories and butts, coming up. and if traveling around the world, staying in luxury hotels and eating at five-star restaurants every day for a year sounds like your kind of thing, your dream job awaits, my friends. it's real. details, ahead. no two people have the same financial goals. pnc investments works with you to understand yours and helps plan for your retirement. talk to a pnc investments financial advisor today. ♪ (announcer) scottrade knows our and invest their own way.

with scottrade's smart text, i can quickly understand my charts, and spend more time trading. their quick trade bar lets my account follow me online so i can react in real-time. plus, my local scottrade office is there to help. because they know i don't trade like everybody. i trade like me. i'm with scottrade. (announcer) ranked highest in investor satisfaction with self-directed services by j.d. power and associates.

if you thought march would about positive month for the mooshgts, think again. the losses for the dow, s&p and nasdaq, all three major averages clearly in the red for the month of march. let's move on to something more enjoyable. tacos and with, factories and booze. all in a day's work. courtney reagan at the capital markets consumer retail conference. you won't dig into the booze until well after you've finished working. right, courtney? >> there's a theme there. interesting, mandy. of course, the companies run the gamut across a number of secretary of staters and products they sell. themes resonated through a number of the present aces here at the cvc capital markets consumer and retail conference from weather to commodity costs

to m & a. the weather hurt sales in the fourth quarter crimping in-store visits. folks can't get in to get pets groomed. that's the less chance groomed. but they are coming to stock up on things like pet food. but b & g foods says that severe weather usually good for dry grocery. we go to the store, stock up on the foods we need. we haven't seen the spikes we have in previous years. commodity pricing, key part of the discussion. ann annie's talking about price surges in organic wheat and cheese. that's a problem when 40% of their business comes from mac and cheese. texas roadhouse does think beef prices will remain elevated. but they're not passing along those costs to the consumers. a key goal of theirs is to make sure prices are consistent. i'm joined by david palmer and nick mody. you've been moderating the

discussions for the last two days. david, if i could start with you, what are the major themes you want to make sure investors understand about what the companies are telling us? >> some of the things we were talking about was the weather and trying to tease out what is the true consumer trend beyond the weather. for instance, the food companies, as you mentioned, they're trend stabilized lately. many of them were facing a call that they have a secular challenge, that eating is moving to the perimeter of the super market, that the center of the store is dead. now all the sudden it looks like maybe they'll be okay, particularly with the costs for many of the commodities, particularly wheat and corn, are still down year over year. certain companies have tuck-ins to make it through. so all the sudden there's more hope here for packaged foods. one other thing is that lean cost structures are winning. so b & g foods or pinnacle foods have a close sg&a margin. mcdonald's came here talking

about having to get more lean. you have to be right on cost. and the other thing is small companies that have growthy, they're in the right side of the wellness trend. they're having to add the people and capabilities to manage costs. oftentimes the organic wheat, those costs are going up and they have to navigate those costs because they have such great demand. the only problem is making enough money. >> nick, how about you? what's going on in your space for our audience to understand? >> one of the most important things was weather versus the consumer behavior. we are finding it seems like the weather. there's a lot of debate right now about that very topic. even the fed was talking about that. the other theme i would say is m & a. seems like that environment is really starting to open up. might be because the last couple years it's been really tough. looks like companies are realizing it's going to stay this way for a while. maybe they're looking for ak w acquisitions to bolster growth. >> what are your best picks?

>> we really like the energizer story. it's very inexpensive on a pe basis. it's really a cost cutting story. we think there's a lot of cost savings. we think the targets will go up further from here. we like that story. and lorillard. if there's any time to be buying tobacco stocks, it's now. the vix is at an elevated level. >> david, how about you? >> in the food side, boulder brands, small cap name. they've just added new capabilities with a new coo. they're going to leverage that plus they launched a new gmo free smart balance to stabilize that part of the business. on the restaurant side, yum brands. i don't think it's the top line that does it for the first quarter, but they're making more money out of getting more firnt out of the china business. in the second quarter, we heard

from tyson today about how much easier the comparisons get from an avian flu standpoint in the second quarter. that's going to be a good quarter for yum. also, the launch of taco bell breakfast. >> hopefully that gives our audience an idea to place their money in the months and years to come. that's it from the rbc capital markets. back to you. >> courtney, thank you very much. all right. utilities, the only sector in the green. very defensive. next up, what is the real catalyst for today's selloff? that's a question and a tease. n. iwe don't back down. we only know one direction: up so we're up early. up late. thinking up game-changing ideas, like this: dozens of tax free zones across new york state. move here. expand here.

or start a new business here... and pay no taxes for 10 years. with new jobs, new opportunities and a new tax free plan. there's only one way for your business to go. up. find out if your business can qualify at start-upny.com it's been that way since the day you met. but your erectile dysfunction - it could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet

approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than 4 hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial.

worst day in a month for stocks. the dow is down about 1.3%. the s&p and nasdaq are also down more than 1%. joining us now, dominic chu. hello. and on the cnbc newsline, matt maley, who flagged us about this whole german dax, u.s. dow correlation. you got all frothy, at least in e-mail it seemed that way. what's the correlation here? >> well, two things. number one, all this news on china. the overnight news wasn't a whole lot different. we've got negative news out of them for weeks. it wasn't much negative than earlier in the week or last week. so i don't think that was the main reason why we sold off. we opened higher. all this news was already out. what did change was germany's stock market rolled over pretty hard. shortly after we opened up and sold off significantly. as bob pointed out earlier today, he's absolutely right, we

saw some of those euro/yen and u.s. dollar/yen trade down. that means less liquidity in the system. that's what really took the market down. that's also what is different than what we saw when the market got hit when this whole thing with russia and ukraine hit at the beginning of the month. that was a one-day wonder. but the yen cross did not change. today they changed. that could be an important difference. >> if i could summarize what matt just said in one short sentence, it seems like it is a combination of factors overlaying each other that's hurting us. >> and matt hits the nail on the head. for a lot of traders, they look towards the currency market for those yen crosses. it signals the risk appetite in the marketplace. when you start to see those currencies against the yen rise in value, meaning the yen -- there's a good sign for that. when the yen weakens, it's a good sign. when there's yen strength,

that's a sign people are covering some of their bets in the marketplace, derisking themselves. >> you're a smart guy, dom. and you're right about everything you just said. but i have no idea what you just said. because most of our viewers aren't trading the yen/aussie dollar cross. >> no -- >> but it's an excellent risk barometer. >> or you could focus on fundamentals. >> or you could watch the yields. that's another thing but the interest rates in the u.s. are moving lower. >> we could argue all day about what's caused us no move lower, but i want to know one thing. will we keep moving lower tomorrow and the next day? is there anything you see that gives you serious concern? >> well, again, these yen crosses, if they continue to fall, that's going to be negative. i'm also concerned a little bit about what's going on in both the european bank stocks. they've sold off. they're down 6% or 7%. our domestic banks, financial

stocks, have bounced nicely and have begun to outperform. you see both in europe and the japanese banks are down 14%. that's not good. >> something we need to watch indeed. we've got to finish up there because the show is ending. thank you so much for watching "street signs." thanks, dom, for jumping in as well. >> more on the markets coming up on "closing bell." take care, everybody. a surprise selloff on wall street today. welcome to "the closing bell." i'm kelly evans here at the new york stock exchange, on a day where we're on the lows of the session. >> another down day. this time it is the worst of the -- we've had four consecutive down days now for the market. this is the biggest selloff. what's very interesting is there's no consensus on what's causing the selloff today. depending on who you ask, it's china, it's the situation in ukraine, it's correlation with