Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell on Tuesday:

Smithfield Foods — The pork producer will study the letter sent by major shareholder Starboard Value earlier in the day. That letter proposed a breakup of the company, saying it yielded far more value than the $34 per share buyout deal struck with China's Shuanghui Holdings.

Sony — Hedge fund operator Third Point raised its stake to 7 percent from about 6.3 percent. Third Point also asked for the chance to present its case for a spin-off of Sony's entertainment unit to the board of directors.

Boeing — Boeing formally launched a new version of its Dreamliner, the 787-10, and announced commitments for 102 of the jets from five customers including United Airlines.

There's a wide divide on Wall Street over whether further bond purchases by the Federal Reserve can help lower interest rates, which have been rising since early May.

Economists, analysts and fund managers, who participated in the latest CNBC Fed survey, were almost evenly split on the question. Of the 60 respondents, 45.8 percent said further bond purchases could help lower yields, while 44 percent said they do not believe it would. Another 10.2 percent said they were unsure. More results of the survey will be reported Tuesday by CNBC Senior Economic Correspondent Steve Liesman, starting at 7 a.m. ET on CNBC's "Squawk Box."

The answer to the question on yields suggests that Wall Street is losing faith in the ability of the Fed's quantitative easing program to suppress rates. In April, 54 percent who answered the CNBC Fed survey said they thought QE could lower bond yields, while 35 percent did not.

(Read More: Stocks End Higher, but Fed Taper Talk Weighs; Dow Rallies 100)

Check out which companies are making headlines after the bell Monday:

Korn/Ferry International - The executive search firm posted earnings of 32 cents a share, excluding one-time items, edging past expectations by a penny a share. Revenue of $239 million topped estimates for $224 million. In addition, the company said it expects to see current-quarter earnings above Wall Street forecasts. Shares rallied in extended-hours trading.

(Read More: Stocks End Higher, but Fed Taper Talk Weighs)

Host Hotels & Resorts - The lodging real estate investment trust boosted its quarterly dividend by 10 percent to 11 cents a share. Shares were largely unchanged in extended-hours trading.

Take a look at some of Monday's midday movers:

Embraer United Technologies – Embraer received a big order for the newest version of its E-Jet planes. Skywest will be the launch customer with a firm order of 100 planes and options for another 100. Embraer has also received letters of intent to buy 265 E-Jets from others. United Technologies' Pratt & Whitney unit will provide the engines for the planes.

Medivation, Johnson & Johnson – Medivation fell sharply after Johnson & Johnson announced a deal to buy privately-held Aragon Pharmaceutical. The deal strengthens J&J's position in the prostate cancer space and puts pressure on Medivation's prostate cancer drug Xtandi.

The market chatter over the weekend was all about Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. More specifically, sentiment centers around one question: will Bernanke try to calm the markets by pushing a more dovish position on bond-buying?

Why? Most feel that Bernanke is likely pleased with the 60 basis point or so rise in 10-year interest rates in the last six weeks: just enough to take some air out of Treasury price deflation, not enough to have everyone scream that the economy is slowing, or that 4 percent mortgage rates will crush the housing recovery.

Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell on Monday:

Smithfield Foods — Smithfield should be broken up rather than sold to a China firm, according to activist investor Starboard Value. Starboard puts Smithfield's value at 44 - $55 per share if broken up, compared to the $34 per share price offered by Shuanghui Holdings.

Netflix —Netflix has struck its largest-ever original content deal with DreamWorks Animation, which will provide over 300 hours of programming based on popular DreamWorks movie characters.

Facebook— Investors are speculating about a press event set for Thursday, with the invitation merely describing the introduction of a "big idea" that a "small team" has been working on.

The Federal Reserve is expected to fine tune its policy message when it meets in the coming week, but whether it is able to rein in volatile financial markets is another matter.

The two-day Fed meeting ends Wednesday with a statement, economic forecast and a press briefing by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. It also follows a rough several weeks for markets, where interest rates have risen, forcing a reassessment and shaking out of asset values across global markets.

There is a heavy economic calendar, including housing and consumer level inflation data, but the focus in financial markets is honed on what the Fed will say about its quantitative easing program and whether it will signal that it is going to start paring back on its $85 billion monthly bond purchases.

U.S. oil prices rose to the highest level since September on Friday as tensions escalated between the U.S. and Syria.

WTI oil prices climbed more than a dollar to a session high of $98.25 a barrel, a level not reached since Sept. 17, 2012. Brent crude futures were up about $1.50 a barrel, reaching a session high of $106.64 a barrel, the highest price in over two months. Oil was trading slightly off the highs at midday.

Crude oil prices have been range-bound for more than a month until Thursday afternoon when it was reported that President Obama authorized shipment of U.S. weapons to Syrian rebels for the first time. The White House said it had proof that the Syrian government used chemical weapons against rebels. Oil prices extended their gains Friday morning.

Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell on Friday:

Restoration Hardware—The company reported first quarter profit of 6 cents per share, excluding certain items, two cents above estimates. Revenues also beat consensus, as did the furniture retailer's raised forecast for the current quarter.

News Corp. — The media giant announced its chief financial officer David DeVoe will retire at the end of the fiscal year on June 30. He'll be replaced by deputy CFO John Nallen.

Smith & Wesson —The company expects fourth quarter financial results to top Street estimates on both the top and bottom lines when it reports its numbers on June 25. The gun maker pegs its preliminary Q4 earnings at 44 cents per share, four cents above estimates. It also plans to buy back up to $100 million in shares.

After years of falling interest rates, a sea change could be underway, with some investors already starting to hedge their investments in preparation for an uptick.

"We've put in a bottom in the interest rate market, and it's only going higher from here," said Adam Hewison, president and chief strategist at INO.com. "What that may do is what Ben Bernanke's been trying to do for the last few years—lure people to come in and buy."

Since the financial crisis, the Fed has taken unprecedented steps to lower rates in an effort to encourage borrowing and economic growth, pushing the federal funds target rate to a record low level of between 0 percent and 0.25 percent. But the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury notes has climbed since the beginning of May to above 2 percent amid signs of an improving economy and recent chatter over when the Federal Reserve will start scaling back its bond-buying program.

(Read More: Stock Funds See Day in the Sun as Bonds Suffer)