• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI

2

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises

3

The top foreign holders of U.S. debt may soon dump Treasury bonds and bring their money back home, potentially spiking borrowing costs

1

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI

2

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises

3

The top foreign holders of U.S. debt may soon dump Treasury bonds and bring their money back home, potentially spiking borrowing costs
NewslettersBull Sheet

The markets have an Achilles heel: twitchy bond yields

By
Bernhard Warner
Bernhard Warner
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Bernhard Warner
Bernhard Warner
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 4, 2021, 5:17 AM ET

This is the web version of the Bull Sheet, Fortune’s no-BS daily newsletter on the markets. Sign up to receive it in your inbox here.

Good morning. Lousy jobs data and spiking yields put a beating on stocks yesterday, with tech giants Apple, Microsoft, Tesla and Amazon sinking the S&P 500. Those jitters sent Asian and European shares lower on Thursday.

Treasury yields are beginning to nudge higher, as I type, and that’s impacting U.S. futures. They point to another weak open ahead of more labor market data and a big speech by Fed Chair Jerome Powell that could impact bond yields and currencies—which is to say, equities, too.

Let’s see what else is moving markets.

Markets update

Asia

  • The major Asia indexes are having a rough go in afternoon trading, with the Hang Seng down 2.2%.
  • Netflix is pouring massive resources into the lucrative India market to fend off challenges from Disney and Amazon Prime. The streaming giant plans to release 40 local productions in the coming year, the Financial Times reports.
  • Households around the world have amassed $2.9 trillion—yes, trillion with a T—in excess savings, enough dry powder to fuel one heck of an economic recovery.

Europe

  • The European bourses were a blur of red with the Stoxx Europe 600 down nearly 0.6% at the open.
  • Italy is the second European country after Germany to enter the promising market for green bonds, looking to sell €7 billion worth of the specialized debt with a 2045 maturation date. Look for Spain and the U.K. to tap this same market in the coming months, analysts say.
  • Shares in Germany’s Merck—Merck KGaA—were down 0.5% in the opening minutes of trade despite the biotech giant delivering blockbuster results and a rosy 2021 outlook, as the vaccines rollout has been great for business.

U.S.

  • U.S. futures are down in volatile trade. That’s after the Nasdaq shed a further 2.7% on Wednesday. Tech stocks are having a rough week.
  • Shares in Google fell 2.6% yesterday on news it will essentially upend its digital advertising cash cow by phasing out those ubiquitous tracking “cookies” designed to tailor ads for us.
  • In this jumpy market, today’s jobless data could be a factor worth watching today. The forecast is for 750,000 new unemployment claims.

Elsewhere

  • Gold is down, trading below $1,715/ounce. It hasn’t been much of a safe-haven in these tumultuous markets.
  • The dollar is up.
  • Crude is edging higher with Brent trading above $64/barrel.
  • Bitcoin is proving to be a decent hedge against stocks this week, trading above $50,000 at 10 a.m. Rome time.

***

Correction: Yesterday’s Bull Sheet contained a wildly inflated figure, which a few of you later pointed out to me. The post should have read that Cathie Woods of ARK Investment Management made a $95 million investment in Zoom Video Communications. I regret the error.

Buzzworthy

The not-so-Fab 5

From WFH darling to WTH portfolio killer

Losing its luster

High times

***

Have a nice day, everyone. I’ll see you here tomorrow… Until then, there’s more news below.

Bernhard Warner
@BernhardWarner
Bernhard.Warner@Fortune.com

As always, you can write to bullsheet@fortune.com or reply to this email with suggestions and feedback.

Today's read

Blast off. Touch down. One of the most volatile stocks this week has been Rocket Companies (Ticker: RKT), the parent firm of Rocket Mortgage and Quicken Loans. The Reddit crowd sent its shares on a gravity-defying ride on Tuesday, to an all-time high, only to see it crash by nearly 33% yesterday. Fortune's Chris Morris has the story.

Oscar the grouch. Investor appetite for new shares ain't what it used to be. Case in point: Oscar Health, which counts Joshua Kushner, Jared's younger brother, as a co-founder, had a rough debut yesterday, falling 11%.

Some of these stories require a subscription to access. There is a discount offer for our loyal readers if you use this link to sign up. Thank you for supporting our journalism.

Market candy

Quote of the day

We haven’t seen this scale of fiscal response before, and the market is struggling with how to process that. 

That's Julia Coronado, founder and president of Macropolicy Perspectives. She is part of a growing chorus on Wall Street who believe the Biden Administration's $1.9 trillion stimulus plan could have big unintended consequences for the equities market. 

About the Author
By Bernhard Warner
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Newsletters

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Newsletters

Jenn Hyman reflects on the highs and lows of running Rent the Runway for almost two decades
NewslettersMPW Daily
Jenn Hyman reflects on the highs and lows of running Rent the Runway for almost two decades
By Emma HinchliffeMay 15, 2026
3 days ago
Andrew Feldman, co-founder of Cerebras
NewslettersTerm Sheet
Cerebras soars almost 70% by market close in a true blockbuster IPO
By Allie GarfinkleMay 15, 2026
3 days ago
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (left) and Apple CEO Tim Cook in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 4, 2025. (Photo: Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
NewslettersFortune Tech
OpenAI may take legal action against Apple over Siri’s ChatGPT integration
By Andrew NuscaMay 15, 2026
3 days ago
State Farm CEO is betting big on AI—and contemplating the company’s future in California
NewslettersCEO Daily
State Farm CEO is betting big on AI—and contemplating the company’s future in California
By Diane BradyMay 15, 2026
3 days ago
The AI boom sidelined sustainability. Two researchers want to change that
NewslettersEye on AI
The AI boom sidelined sustainability. Two researchers want to change that
By Sharon GoldmanMay 14, 2026
3 days ago
‘Be delusional enough to call yourself something the world hasn’t called you yet’: What powerful women told the class of 2026
NewslettersMPW Daily
‘Be delusional enough to call yourself something the world hasn’t called you yet’: What powerful women told the class of 2026
By Sydney LakeMay 14, 2026
3 days ago

Most Popular

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
AI
Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
By Jake AngeloMay 16, 2026
2 days ago
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
5 days ago
The top foreign holders of U.S. debt may soon dump Treasury bonds and bring their money back home, potentially spiking borrowing costs
Economy
The top foreign holders of U.S. debt may soon dump Treasury bonds and bring their money back home, potentially spiking borrowing costs
By Jason MaMay 17, 2026
10 hours ago
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
Politics
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
1 day ago
'No one was coming to save me': How Reese Witherspoon built a $900 million company from a problem Hollywood wouldn't fix
Success
'No one was coming to save me': How Reese Witherspoon built a $900 million company from a problem Hollywood wouldn't fix
By Sydney LakeMay 17, 2026
17 hours ago
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
Innovation
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.