Morning Brief

Modest losses are seen for Wall Street ahead of Trump's Iran nuclear decision

Key Points

BY THE NUMBERS

Futures were slightly lower this morning as investors awaited President Donald Trump's announcement on the Iran nuclear deal. The Dow Jones industrial average has a three-day win streak, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq up for the past two sessions. (CNBC)

* Cramer: If you own stock in a gold company, you can take profits here (CNBC)

Oil futures retreated from 3.5-year highs this morning ahead of Trump's afternoon announcement on whether the United States will reimpose sanctions on Iran. Concerns about Iranian crude coming off the market pushed prices up on Monday. (Reuters)

Comcast (CMCSA) is making preparations for a possible all-cash bid for 21st Century Fox's (FOXA) entertainment assets, according to sources. Fox has an agreement in place to sell those assets to Walt Disney (DIS) for $52.4 billion in stock. (CNBC)

Takeda Pharma agreed to buy London-listed Shire (SHPG) for $61.5 billion today after raising the amount of cash in its offer. The deal, assuming it wins shareholder approval, would be the larges ever overseas acquisition by a Japanese company. (Reuters)

Earnings reports out this morning include Aramark (ARMK), Camping World (CWH), Discovery Communications (DISCA) and Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX). Dow component Walt Disney (DIS) will report earnings after the bell. (CNBC)

It's a light day for economic reports, with only the Labor Department's March JOLTS (Job Opportunities and Labor Turnover) report on the schedule. The 10 a.m. ET release is expected to show that there were 6.04 million job openings at the end of March. (CNBC)

During a three-hour exclusive interview, billionaire investor Warren Buffett left no doubt about the potential he still sees in stocks and his vast skepticism about bitcoin. He also shed light on why Berkshire decided to buy additional Apple shares and more. (CNBC)

IN THE NEWS TODAY

President Donald Trump is widely expected to withdraw the United States from the agreement that lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for Tehran accepting limits in its nuclear program. Trump has decided the agreement itself is flawed. (CNBC)

* Iran deal opponents hired firm to dig up dirt on Obama aide (NY Times)
* Iran president warns of "problems" as Trump decision looms (AP)
* No matter what Trump says on Iran, China will probably ignore him (CNBC)

Eric Schneiderman, a frequent Trump critic, announced he's resigning as New York's attorney general following allegations published in The New Yorker that he was physically violent with four women with whom he was romantically involved. (CNBC & AP)

* Before his fall, he defended women and took on Trump (NY Times)
* 'Gotcha,' tweets Kellyanne Conway on Schneiderman resignation (Washington Post)

The president has begun questioning whether his lawyer Rudy Giuliani should be sidelined from television interviews, according to the Associated Press, citing sources. Trump has become irritated with Giuliani's off-message media blitz.

Newly obtained documents show that EPA chief Scott Pruitt and his staff tried to maintain strict secrecy about the bulk of Pruitt's daily schedule, driven by a desire to avoid tough questions from the public than concerns about security. (NY Times)

A string of 2018 primary elections take place today, shaping elections that will help to determine which party holds the House and Senate after November's midterms. Voters go to the polls in Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia. (CNBC)

Trump will propose canceling $15 billion in federal spending, and nearly half of those cuts would come from the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, a safety-net program for low-income families that has bipartisan support. (USA Today)

Saftey regulators are sounding the alarm over the surge of pedestrians struck and killed by vehicles in the U.S. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said higher speed limits in many municipalities around the country may be a factor. (CNBC)

Facebook (FB) is defining what it considers "issue ads" that will require authorization and labeling on its platform in the U.S. The initial list includes abortion, civil rights, guns, immigration, poverty, terrorism and more. (Axios)

STOCKS TO WATCH

Snap (SNAP) CFO Andrew Vollero is stepping down, and will be replaced by former Amazon (AMZN) executive Tim Stone. Stone had led Amazon's integration of Whole Foods after the acquisition of the supermarket chain last year.

Activist investor ValueAct has acquired a $1.2 billion stake in Citigroup (C), according to the Wall Street Journal. A letter to investors seen by the Journal said that ValueAct continues to boost its Citi stake "opportunistically" and that it supports CEO Michael Corbat.

Zillow Group (ZG) reported quarterly earnings of 7 cents per share, beating estimates by a penny. The real estate website operator's revenue was also slightly above forecasts. However, Zillow warned on outlook and announced its CFO will step down at the end of the month.

Hertz Global (HTZ) lost $1.58 per share for its latest quarter, wider than the $1.26 per share loss that analysts were anticipating. The car rental company's revenue did beat forecasts, but it said it still "had work to do."

AMC Entertainment (AMC) beat estimates by 5 cents with quarterly profit of 14 cents per share, and the movie theater operator's revenue was above forecasts as well. AMC said it benefited from higher box office revenue and from the acquisition of Nordic Cinema Group.

WATERCOOLER

The 2018 "Heavenly Bodies" costume-themed, Met Gala was last night. Catch all the arrivals, including Rhianna, Katy Perry and even Disney's Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman. (Variety)

It's now red-carpet official: entrepreneur Elon Musk and musician Grimes are an item. The couple confirmed reports as they arrived at the Met Gala together last night. (USA Today)