A daily morning look at the financial stories you need to know to start the day
STOCKS/ECONOMY
-Stock futures are higher after yesterday's rally fizzled. Stocks look like they'll get a boost today from continued strength in crude oil.
-Gold keeps making small gains and is at the $1,260/ounce level.
-US small business confidence has hit a two-year low.
OIL/ENERGY
-Crude prices are up a bit and holding to the $40/barrel level. The big oil producers are gearing up for their key meeting in Qatar this coming Sunday.
-Gasoline prices rose to $2.05/gallon, national average.
ELECTION
-The Trump campaign is cooling off nationally, but he has a massive lead in the GOP primary polls in NY. Hillary Clinton has a strong lead in the NY polls too.
-Jim Cramer says Bernie Sanders is ruining earnings season.
IRAN DEAL
-Boeing is in talks to make a major series of passenger jet sales to Iran.
UNIONS
-A strike at Verizon could begin as soon as tomorrow and put 40,000 workers on the picket line.
WALL STREET FINES
-An analysis of the $5.1 billion settlement Goldman Sachs agreed yesterday to pay state and federal governments shows that it will really be more like just $4 billion because of tax breaks and other reductions of actual cost in the deal.
MOVING AMERICA
-The Dodge Ram truck did very poorly in new crash tests.
-A hot new trend is the leasing of used cars. This makes leasing more affordable.
DEFENSE
-Pratt and Whitney just got a $1 billion contract to make more engines for the F-35 fighter.
-In a big step forward for the rapidly-expanding Indian defense sector, plans are being discussed for India and the US to co-produce F-16 and F-18 jets.
BIG HEIST
-Robbers drilled through the ceiling of a Brooklyn bank over the weekend and stole $280K.