Strong U.S. employment numbers coupled with what many considered to be an inadequate course of action by the ECB last week saw most market fall sharply. The markets hardest hit were Germany’s DAX (nearly 5%) and France’s CAC 40 (down more than 430 bps). North American indices closed the week surprisingly flat given news released this past week. Japan’s Nikkei 225 continues to lead on a YTD basis with a gain of 11.77%. With an upcoming FED rate rise later this month all but certain, we can expect some further profit taking in the near term.