CNBC Daily Open: Fears over yet another hot inflation gauge

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Like what you see? You can subscribe  here .

Markets lower
U.S. stocks closed Friday in the red, ending their five-week winning streaks after hotter-than expected producer price index data for January. The benchmark S&P 500 slipped 0.48%, while the 30-stock Dow lost 0.37% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 0.82%. Wall Street is closed Monday for Presidents Day.

Urgent Ukraine appeal
European leaders seek more support for Ukraine as Russia continues to make gains. "The sense of urgency is simply not clear enough," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said, joining European leaders in appealing for more arms for Ukraine as the war enters its third year.

Sony margins
Sony's declining margins in its critical gaming business has become a major issue despite higher-margin products like digital game sales and its PS Plus subscription service. The Japanese tech giant slashed its sales forecast for its flagship PlayStation 5 console for the fiscal year, which wiped off around $10 billion off its market value last week.

Clinton's Trump warning
Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton underlined that Donald Trump will quit NATO if re-elected as president in November. She called on delegates at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend to take her one-time presidential rival's tough talk "literally and seriously."

[PRO] Bullish on equities
Morgan Stanley has a positive outlook on equity markets despite some concerns over valuations. The bank's Andrew Slimmon highlighted: "It's going to be a good year for equities," and picked three