Key financial earnings continued to roll in this morning. Bank of America (BAC) and Morgan Stanley (MS) both reported better than expected earnings. JPMorgan (JPM), Wells Fargo (WFC), and Citigroup (C) released their numbers last week. (CNBC)
UnitedHealth (UNH), a Dow component, this morning reported earnings and revenue that beat estimates. In November, the insurer warned investors of expected losses on its Obamacare plans and a possible exit from the health exchanges in 2017. (CNBC)
This afternoon, Dow stock IBM (IBM), and Netflix (NFLX) report quarterly results. Ahead of earnings, Netflix unveiled the schedule for "House of Cards," "Orange Is the New Black," and its other original programs. (USA Today)
Twitter (TWTR) experienced an outage this morning, with website visitors receiving a message telling them that "something is technically wrong." The disruption lasted more than an hour. (CNBC)
Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google and Facebook (FB) have joined Samsung in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on the long-running patent dispute with Apple (AAPL). (Re/code)
GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump said if elected, he'll stop Apple from making iPhones in China. Trump has targeted other U.S. companies for manufacturing overseas. (CNBC)
Tennis authorities are being accused of failing to deal with widespread match-fixing, just as the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, kicked off in Melbourne. (Reuters)
The unseasonably warm weather is over for the middle and eastern parts of the country with winter arriving fashionably late, with an arctic blast of frigid temperatures. (NBC News)
Guitarist Glenn Frey, a founding member of the Eagles, died on Monday at age 67 from complications from rheumatoid arthritis. Frey co-wrote many of the band's seminal 1970s hits. (Reuters)
BY THE NUMBERS
On this morning's U.S. economic calendar, the National Association of Home Builders releases its monthly sentiment survey at 10 a.m. ET.
Citing falling commodity prices and China concerns, the International Monetary Fund cut its global economic growth forecast for 2016 from previous estimates to 3.4 percent.
The International Energy Agency this morning warned that a further drop in oil prices is likely as supply continues to exceed demand, placing "enormous strain" on the ability of the oil system to absorb it efficiently.
Rio Tinto (RIO) expects to boost iron ore production and shipments this year.Last week, the company's CEO told staff the outlook for commodities has been "sobering."
Suncor Energy (SU) reached a deal to buy Canadian Oil Sands for nearly $3 billion. Suncor raised its all-stock offer to end the months-long fight for its rival.
Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) is exiting a multi-billion-dollar Abu Dhabi gas field project, calling it uneconomic in the current downturn. Major write downs were not expected.
STOCKS TO WATCH
Unilever (UL) said it's preparing for tougher market conditions and high volatility in 2016. The consumer products giant reported a better-than-expected 4 percent rise in underlying full-year sales.
An article in Barron's over the weekend suggested shares of Yahoo (YHOO) could jump 35 percent, if the company sold its core Internet business and stakes in Alibaba and Yahoo japan.
WhatsApp is dropping its one dollar a year subscription fee. The Facebook-owned platform is exploring other monetization strategies, including charging businesses to communicate directly with users.
Qualcomm (QCOM) announced a $280 million joint venture with a province in Southwest China. The project will focus on the design, development and sale of advanced server technology.
WATERCOOLER
Disney's (DIS) "The Force Awakens" has finally been after holding the top spot for a month. Universal's "Ride Along 2," starring Kevin Hart and Ice Cube, was No. 1. (AP)