BY THE NUMBERS
U.S. stock futures were mixed this morning as investors prepared for a Fed meeting later this week. Momentum is positive heading into the week, with the Dow riding a three-day win streak and the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all up in four of the past five sessions. (CNBC)
President Donald Trump targeted both General Motors (GM) and an Ohio union official over an assembly plant that the automaker closed earlier this month. He claimed that GM "let our Country down." Shares of GM were slightly higher in premarket trading. (CNBC)
On the data front this morning, the National Association of Home Builders is out with its monthly sentiment survey for March at 10 a.m. ET, with consensus forecasts calling for a reading of 63. That would be up one point from February. (CNBC)
Lumber Liquidators (LL) and Overstock.com (OSTK) are among the few companies scheduled to report quarterly earnings this morning, while cannabis producer Tilray (TLRY) will be out with its numbers after today's closing bell. (CNBC)
IN THE NEWS TODAY
The U.S. Department of Transportation is investigating whether there were lapses in the Federal Aviation Administration's approval of Boeing (BA) planes involved in two recent fatal crashes, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
* The world turned on the US and FAA after two Boeing fatal air crashes (CNBC)
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today she would announce new gun laws within days. The comments came after a lone gunman killed 50 people in mass shootings at two mosques in the city of Christchurch. (Reuters)
Former FBI Director James Comey told CNBC that he did not know if Democrats could obtain an unredacted copy of the Robert Mueller report with a subpoena if the Department of Justice declined to release it.
The U.S. military is crafting plans to keep nearly 1,000 forces in Syria, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing U.S. officials. Three months ago, President Trump had ordered a complete withdrawal.
Ride-hailing platform Lyft will launch the investor road show for its initial public offering today, according to Reuters, citing people familiar with the matter. It will be seeking to convince investors to make large commitments to its IPO.
The Apple (AAPL) Watch helped detect a heart rhythm disorder in some users but showed false positives in other cases, according to a new study presented at the American College of Cardiology conference. (Reuters)
* How tech can solve pain without pills (CNBC)
A person familiar with the matter told CNBC that James Gunn has been rehired by Disney's (DIS) Marvel Studios to helm "Guardians of the Galaxy 3" after being pulled from the project last summer over posts made on social media.
STOCKS TO WATCH
Deutsche Bank (DB) and rival German bank Commerzbank confirmed that they are in merger talks, although both said a deal was not assured.
Caesars Entertainment (CZR) and Eldorado Resorts (ERI) are in the early stages of exploring a merger, according to Reuters. Investor Carl Icahn has been pushing Caesars to explore a sale after taking a stake in the casino operator and putting three nominees on the board of directors.
Financial incentives for Amazon.com's (AMZN) planned headquarter in northern Virginia won approval from local officials, despite vocal opposition from some residents and labor groups.
PG&E (PCG) is close to naming a new CEO and a board overhaul, according to the Wall Street Journal. The paper said retiring Tennessee Valley Authority head Bill Johnson is the likely CEO choice.
Edwards Lifesciences (EW) and Medtronic (MDT) both saw positive results in studies involving rival non-invasive heart valve replacement systems. The study results were presented over the weekend.
Qudian (QD) posted a mixed quarter, reporting better than expected bottom line results but revenue that fell short of analyst forecasts. Qudian is a provider of consumer credit products in China.
Kroger (KR) and a group of other retailers settled a dispute with tuna maker Starkist, following that company's admission that it conspired with others to raise the price of canned tuna. Financial terms were not disclosed. Starkist had previously reached similar settlements with Target (TGT) and Walmart (WMT).
WATERCOOLER
With no one hitting all winning numbers in Saturday night's Powerball drawing, the top prize has jumped above the half-billion-dollar mark. Your chance of winning the top prize is about 1 in 292 million. (CNBC)