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Geopolitics and possible Brexit deadline extension weighing on European markets
There is a whole host of negative factors weighing on the European stock markets at present. Of these, two of the most significant are the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan and the potential extension of the Brexit deadline.
The increasingly heated political climate in Asia is evidence that the region is in the grips of a new, previously overlooked crisis which could have serious, negative consequences for the world's financial markets. Another equally worrying concern among investors is the Britain's impending exit from the European Union. The UK government is currently debating measures to extend the Brexit deadline beyond the original 29 March departure date in the event that its latest deal proposal fails to receive parliamentary approval.
Meanwhile, investors are also following the US Federal Reserve's rhetoric for any clues as to the regulator's future monetary policy. In addition to this, they are also taking direction from the US representatives at the China-US trade talks, who are reported to have said that it is still too early to predict the results of the negotiations. These comments spelled the end of a recent period of increased optimism that a resolution to the ongoing trade conflict between the US and China was close at hand. As we narrow our focus to the region's individual countries and their domestic stock markets, we see several internal factors at play. For example, the Netherlands government's unexpected move to purchase shares in Air France-KLM has alarmed the French authorities, who are still waiting for the Dutch to provide proper clarification on the motivation behind the decision.

The shares in marijuana manufacturers still look mixed


The shares of the largest Canadian producers of marijuana continue to show mixed trends against the background of data about the cannabis legal and black market indicators for the country. The report that Aurora Cannabis Inc. (ACB) had closed a deal to acquire a company that produces medical marijuana in British Columbia in western Canada also impacted the market.
According to statistical data, the marijuana black market remained quite strong during the fourth quarter of 2018. Black market sales reached almost USD 900 million, while the legal market accounted for just over USD 300 million.
Shares of Aphria (APHA) are being bolstered by the news that the Canadian authorities have allowed the company to add additional production capacity. After this new production capacity is added, Aphria will be able to expand its manufacturing volume to up to 110,000 kilograms per year.
There is another notable piece of corporate news in the sector: Cronos Group (CRON) sold its stake in Whistler Medical Marijuana Corporation to Aurora Cannabis.
It is likely that shares in marijuana producing companies will continue to shift ambiguously in response to the combination of contradictory factors. Thus, shares in Aphria may rise to USD 11, whereas those in Cronos Group will drop to USD 20. Aurora Cannabis may drop in price to USD 7, and Canopy Growth (CGC) shares may appreciate to USD 46.

Stock prices of the largest Canadian cannabis producers are dropping after the unexpected news that Scott Gottlieb stepped down as the Head of US FDA.


After two years in this position, he is expected to resign already next month.
These news were absolutely unexpected and, as a consequence, has affected the producers of Cannabis in a negative way, especially due to the fact that Gottlieb was known for his supportive attitude towards the cannabis dealing market. Just last week, he announced that public discussions regarding regulatory issues for this market segment would take place in April.
We can now expect that stocks of Cannabis producers will react to this unexpected negative event, and in several days, could suffer even more significant losses.
As financial scouts predict, Canopy Growth (CGC) stocks might drop in price to USD 45.5 - 46; Tilray (TLRY) - to USD 74.5-75, Aurora Cannabis (ACB) – to USD 6.5-7, Aphria Inc (APHA) – to USD 9-9.5 and Cronos (CRON) – to USD 22.

European markets expected to fall on fears of a global economic slowdown

Europe's stock markets look set to remain subdued over the short-to-medium term on fears of a global economic slowdown and particularly poor economic indicators coming out of the Old Continent. The outlook only worsened following recent comments from the European Central Bank (ECB) as the regulator lowered its eurozone GDP growth forecasts for 2019 from 1.7% to 1.1%, also scaling down its 2020 projections from 1.7% to 1.6%. European stocks then took another hit following the publication of seriously weak Chinese exports data revealing an annualised fall of 20.7% for February. This comes after the previous month's numbers showed a 9.1% rise in January. Of course, these figures are a knock-on effect of the Asian giant's ongoing trade conflict with the USA.
The bad news continued for the European and world markets with poor labour market data from the US pointing to a deterioration of the economic situation in the country. All of the above factors explain why many investors are concerned about a potential slowdown in the global economy. Looking now to regional news, we received reports that the Sovereign Wealth Fund of Norway, which is responsible for managing the Nordic nation's assets, is set to sell its oil and gas shares under instructions from the country's Ministry of Finance. Meanwhile, Europe continues its wait for a definitive solution to the issue of Brexit.

Cannabis stocks continue to rise on reports of US legalisation plans


Libertex notes that shares in major Canadian cannabis producers are rising after politicians in New Jersey made public their plans to legalise recreational cannabis use for adults over the age of 21. It has also been suggested that US local authorities will be permitted to tax cannabis producers operating on their territory at a rate of 2% of the companies' total earnings.
There was another welcome development for the sector in the form of Harvest Health & Recreation's announcement that it is to acquire competitor Verano Holdings in a deal that will see the purchasing company gain a further 30 retail outlets and 7 production facilities. According to its own projections, Harvest Health expects to own 70 retail locations, 13 farms and 13 production facilities by the end of the year.
Our financial scouts are convinced that the recent wave of positive market news will be sufficient to buoy cannabis stocks over the short-to-medium term. Their predictions include share price increases for all the major producers, with Tilray (TLRY) set to rise to $72.5-73, Canopy Growth (CGC) to $47-47.5 and Aurora Cannabis (ACB) to $8-8.5. Meanwhile, they expect shares in Cronos Group (CRON) and Aphria Inc (APHA) to reach $21.5-22 and $10 respectively.

Correction sees cannabis stocks fall after rally on good corporate news runs course


Shares in most major Canadian cannabis producers are now undergoing a correction following moderate-to-strong growth in response to Hexo posting better Q2 earnings (up to $16.2 million).
As the company itself acknowledges, it owes a large part of this success to the significant rise in demand within the recreational cannabis sector as a whole. Just a day earlier, it was another positive development for Hexo that helped to buoy the market as the company announced plans to acquire Newstrike Brands Ltd. — a venture backed by former Canadian rock group The Tragically Hip — in a deal worth an estimated CAD 263 million (USD 198 million). Once it completes the acquisition, Hexo will gain close to 2 million square feet of additional production space.
Finally, the market received one last piece of good news this week in the form of Aurora Cannabis's (ACB) announcement that major investor Nelson Peltz had joined the company as a senior advisor.
In conclusion, it is likely that this downward correction will be sustained over the medium-to-short term, as is to be expected after such a sharp rise. With this in mind, we can expect shares in the big Canadian producers to continue on their current trajectory, with Aurora Cannabis tipped to fall to $8, Canopy Growh (CGC) to $45, Tilray (TLRY) to $72, Aphria to $12 and Cronos (CRON) to $20.

European investors are worried about Brexit and are pretty skeptical when it comes to FRS policy.
European stock markets are nervous about the further perspective of Great Britain leaving Eurozone. It is still not clear whether it will be a Brexit with arrangements or not and when it will take place.
Brexit without a deal might seriously impact not just the British economy, but the Economy of the EU in general and some of its countries in particular. For example, Spain has assessed that in a worst case scenario, Brexit will cost the Spanish economy 10 bln euros. The British Chamber of Commerce has already downgraded its GDP growth forecast for 2019 from previously expected 1,3% to 1,2% against the backdrop of the continuing uncertainty about Brexit.
Meanwhile, the fact that Great Britain and the EU have coordinated a draft of the possible future memorandum of understanding that stipulates the information exchange between the regulatory bodies of the parties in the case of Brexit without a deal still looks positive to investors. At the same time, market players still hope that the agreement between the parties will be reached. Right now the EU still has to announce its decision with regards to the proposal of the British prime minister Theresa May to postpone the Brexit date to the 30th of June.
Apart from the events in the region, European investors have also paid their attention to the rhetoric of FRS of the USA. Despite of the fact that the financial market on the USA has preserved its basic interest rate in March and doesn't promise any further increases in the nearest future, financial scouts still point out that market players preserve their skepticism about the further politics of FED.

Cannabis stocks could rally on good corporate news
Shares in Canada's biggest cannabis producing companies fell on Friday despite the market receiving several pieces of positive news.
Among these was the announcement by Canopy Growth (CGC) that it had acquired cannabis producer AgriNextUSA in a deal which Canopy's senior management believes will help the company expand its US business. This move comes shortly after another intra-sector acquisition saw the Canadian outfit add Colorado-based Ebbu to its portfolio.
Under the terms of the deal, AgriNextUSA's CEO will join the Canopy Growth team as its strategic advisor.
Then there was one final bit of good news for the market in the form of reports that Curaleaf has secured a deal that will see its products sold in hundreds of CVS Health stores across 10 US states.
Many financial scouts believe that these recent positive reports could bring a return to growth for stocks in this sector. Despite the recent decline, they are predicting unit share price increases for all major companies in this sector over the medium-to-short term, with Canopy Growth set to rise $47, Aurora Canabis (ACB) to $10 and Tilray (TLRY) to $71. Meanwhile, Aphria (APHA) is tipped to rise to $11, while Cronos (CRON) is seen up to $21.

European Investors are worried about the perspectives of global economic development and Brexit.


European stock markets will be under hard pressure due to investors being nervous about further perspectives for development of the European economy as well as of global economy in general. Such concerns became really serious after the Eurozone and USA economic statistics were published. A serious deterioration in terms of forecasts on further perspectives for the world economy were given by various institutions and organisations.
Another topic for active discussions and increased concerns of market players is still related to the dynamics of profitability of US treasury bonds. The recent movements of the profitability curve make the investors think that a recession might take place in the US economy during this year.
Apart from this, the trading participants prefer to hold back from risky investments awaiting for another round of trading negotiations between the USA and China, that are scheduled for the 28th of March. In the beginning of April representatives of China are also going to pay a return visit to Washington.
Besides all the above-mentioned facts, the worries with regards to the Brexit deal also influence investment sentiments negatively. After the European leaders postponed the date when Great Britain is supposed to leave the EU for several weeks beyond the 29th of March date, the question about the scenario of this process still remains open.

Cannabis stocks could rise on Cronos quarterly report
Shares in Canadian cannabis producers are trading mixed this Tuesday as the market awaits Cronos Group’s Q4 2018 report.


In the run-up to the release of Cronos’s final quarterly report for 2018, the company’s shares are rising and currently lead their sector, which would suggest that investors are anticipating positive results from the Canadian firm.


Still, the market’s growth has been somewhat restrained following reports that New Jersey has postponed a crucial vote on cannabis legalisation. The Garden State is at the forefront of the charge for legalisation in the US and is thus regarded as a barometer of the movement’s overall momentum.


Canopy Growth’s (CGC) shares are not faring particularly well this week despite the announcement that the company has been granted a license by the Canadian government to cultivate cannabis in the province of New Brunswick. The producer plans to grow approximately 5,000 kg of cannabis a year at this new facility, with the first harvest expected in just six months’ time.


Our financial scouts believe that future share movements in this sector will be largely determined by Cronos’s financial results. If they reveal strong indicators, then the company’s share price could reach $21-21.5, while Aphria’s (APHA) could rise to $10. Meanwhile, shares in Aurora Cannabis (ACB) could hit $10.5, with Canopy Growth and Tilray similarly rising to $44.5-45 and $68-68.5 respectively.