Stocks mostly down to start the week with the Nasdaq taking a hit The major averages had a mixed start to the week as a variety of factors weighed on tech stocks, but the Dow was able to notch a small gain despite a dip in shares of Boeing (BA) following some engine issue news. The run-up in interest rates and refinancing costs has become a source of worry for equities as valuations remain elevated with Wall Street just shy of record highs. Additionally, the good news that vaccinations are increasing and hospitalizations are falling is being countered by ongoing news of virus mutations that run the risk of delaying the return to normal activities that the market has priced-in. ECONOMIC EVENTS: In the U.S., the Chicago Fed national activity index rose 0.25 points to 0.66 in January. The leading economic indicators index increased 0.5% to 110.3 in January. The Dallas Fed's manufacturing index bounced 10.2 points to 17.2 in February. Data from the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering shows there are now 111.5M confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, including 28.1M in the U.S., and nearly 2.5M deaths due to the disease, including almost 500,000 in the U.S. TOP NEWS: Over the weekend, the New York Times reported that a United Airlines ($UAL) flight with 241 passengers on board experienced an engine failure over Colorado, shedding debris across three neighborhoods before landing safely in Denver. While there were no injuries reported, the Federal Aviation Administration said the plane, a Boeing 777-200, experienced a "right-engine failure" shortly after takeoff and that it was aware of reports of debris "in the vicinity of the airplane's flight path." After United said it would temporarily stop flying certain Boeing 777 planes, the planemaker said it is actively monitoring recent events related to United Airlines Flight 328" and that it recommends suspending operations of 777s powered by Pratt & Whitney, a subsidiary of Raytheon ($RTX). Boeing shares closed 2.1% lower. On the M&A front, Goodyear Tire ($GT) agreed to acquire Cooper Tire ($CTB) in a transaction with a total enterprise value of roughly $2.5B. Under the terms of the transaction, Cooper shareholders will receive $41.75 per share in cash and a fixed exchange ratio of 0.907 shares of Goodyear common stock per Cooper share for a total equity value of approximately $2.8B. Shares of Goodyear and Cooper jumped a respective 21% and 29% after the news. In other M&A news, M&T Bank ($MTB) agreed to acquire People's United Financial ($PBCT) in an all-stock deal, with an implied total transaction value based on February 19 closing prices of roughly $7.6B. Under the terms of the agreement, People's United shareholders will receive 0.118 of a share of M&T common stock for each People's United share they own. Following completion of the transaction, former People's United shareholders will collectively own approximately 28% of the combined company. People's United shares rose 15% after the announcement. Spotify ($SPOT) fell 4% following the company's "Stream On" event, during which the music and podcast streaming service confirmed the launch of Spotify Clips, a new short-form video offering, and Spotify HiFi, a new subscription offering. In addition, TechCrunch said the company confirmed its acquisition of Megaphone for a reported $235M. In COVID-19 news, Sanofi ($SNY) and GlaxoSmithKline ($GSK) announced the initiation of a new Phase 2 study with 720 volunteers aged 18 and over to select the most appropriate antigen dosage for Phase 3 evaluation of their adjuvanted recombinant protein COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Kohl's ($KSS) shares rose more than 6% after a group of activist investors that includes Macellum Advisors GP, Ancora Holdings, Legion Partners Asset Management, and 4010 Capital, which control a combined 9.5% stake in Kohl's, nominated nine people to the company's now-12-person board. In response, the company said the Kohl's board and management team "have been engaged in discussions with the Investor Group since early December, and we remain open to new ideas that will improve our operating performance and capital allocation. However, we reject the Investor Group's attempt to seize control of our Board and disrupt our momentum, especially considering that we are well underway in implementing a strong growth strategy and accelerating our performance, and we have refreshed half our Board with six new independent directors since 2016." MAJOR MOVERS: Among the noteworthy gainers was Vuzix ($VUZI), which rose 15.5% after it was revealed that Cathie Wood's ARK Invest bought over 290,000 shares in the company. Also higher was GasLog ($GLOG), which gained over 19% after it reported quarterly results and agreed to a take private transaction with BlackRock's ($BLK) Global Energy & Power Infrastructure team. Among the notable losers was Ebix ($EBIX), which declined almost 40% after RSM US LLP notified the company's Audit Committee of the firm's resignation as the company's independent registered public accounting firm, stating in its letter that its resignation was the "result of being unable, despite repeated inquiries, to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence that would allow it to evaluate the business purpose of significant unusual transactions that occurred in the fourth quarter of 2020." Also lower was MoneyGram ($MGI), which fell almost 23% after reporting quarterly results. Reviewing Monday's economic data:The Conference Board's Leading Economic Index (LEI) increased 0.5% m/m in January (Briefing.com consensus 0.4%) following an upwardly revised 0.4% increase (from 0.3%) in December. January marked the ninth consecutive monthly increase.The key takeaway from the report is that the strength in component indicators was widespread, with seven of the 10 indicators making positive contributions. Russell 2000 +14.0% YTDNasdaq Composite +5.0% YTDS&P 500 +3.2% YTDDow Jones Industrial Average +3.0% YTDMarket SnapshotDow31521.69+27.37(0.09%)Nasdaq13533.08-341.41(-2.46%)SP 5003876.50-30.21(-0.77%)10-yr Note 0/321.338NYSEAdv 1510 Dec 1675 Vol 1.2 blnNasdaqAdv 1523 Dec 2413 Vol 6.4 blnIndustry WatchStrong: Energy, Financials, Materials, Industrials, Real EstateWeak: Information Technology, Consumer Discretionary, UtilitiesMoving the Market-- Growth stocks dragged market lower amid lingering valuation angst, but value/cyclical stocks provided offsetting support-- 10-yr yield touched 1.39% in overnight action Disclosure: I may trade in the ticker symbols mentioned, both long or short. My articles represent my personal opinion and analysis and should not be taken as investment advice. Readers should do their own research before making decisions to buy or sell securities. Trading and investing include risks, including loss of principal. 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