we ask "street critique" guest lincoln ellis. microsoft opened up its latest windows software today at a technology conference in barcelona, spain. even though it's officially a consumer preview of windows 8, microsoft calls the new operating system a "generational change for windows." >> we set out to build windows in a new way. we thought about engineering and design from the chip set through the experience and we did this while still maintaining the st of the p.c. ecosystem. >> tom: that computer ecosystem has changed considerably since microsoft last unveiled a new windows software. tablets, smartphones, apps and cloud computing are competing with the familiar desktop computer. >> i think this is the biggest launch that microsoft's going to have since windows 95. i think there's a lot of positive buzz around it, and i think this is going to be a big winner for them. >> reporter: with windows 8, microsoft acknowledges its operating system has to stretch across digital devices. >> that's what everyone wants, really-- a sort of

let's go to chicago and check in with the cme and bring in lincoln ellis who's managing director of theover the last five or six sessions now, lincoln. >> yeah. it's a very interesting move. really it was two weeks ago on a tuesday that we had the last drop here. you're really wondering if we've churned kind of twice here. once at the 1370 level. you get a little turnover. a little increase in market participation. and now, again here, just north of 1400. it'll be interesting to see as we move into earnings season if this margin compression, if the energy price move has really started to bite into corporate margins. >> yeah. what is your view of oil and of the energy sector in general at the moment? >> look, i think the person you had on just two spots ago is spot on. you really have a $10 to $15 premium in both brent and wti. it is going to eat into margins both at the corporate level and at the retail level. consumers continue to feel that pinch. and that really is what is holding this market multiple expansion back. >> but we've had a great run, haven't we, lincoln? we've had a great