Power Lunch

Monday - Friday, 2:00 - 3:00 PM ET

Power Lunch

The Power Brief

Alison M. Jones | Getty Images

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.