BY THE NUMBERS
U.S. stock futures were pointing to a higher Wall Street open, which could push the Dow back into the green for the week. If that were to happen, the Dow would log its first nine week winning streak since 1995. The Dow was about 3.6 percent away from its October record high. (CNBC)
Kraft Heinz (KHC) were plunging about 20 percent in the premarket this morning after it cut its dividend and disclosed that it received a subpoena from the SEC in October as part of an investigation into the company's procurement accounting policies. (CNBC)
Kraft Heinz revealed the developments in its fourth-quarter earnings release. The company late Thursday reported an adjusted quarterly profit of 84 cents per share, 10 cents below estimates. Revenue of $6.89 billion also missed Wall Street forecasts. (CNBC)
Based on that 20 percent decline in shares of Kraft Heinz, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.a) would see one of its largest investments drop about $3.3 billion in value. Buffett's Berkshire and Brazil's 3G Capital control Kraft Heinz. (Reuters)
Buffett joins CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Monday from 6 a.m. ET to 9 a.m. ET, following Saturday's release of Berkshire's annual shareholder letter. The billionaire investor will answer viewer questions submitted on social media with the hashtag #AskWarren.
* What to watch for in Buffett's annual shareholder letter (CNBC)
There's no economic data set for release today, but several Fed officials are set to speak at the U.S. Monetary Policy Forum in New York today, including New York Fed President John Williams, San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly, and Fed Vice Chairman Richard Clarida.
IN THE NEWS TODAY
President Donald Trump is set to meet today with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, who's leading China's delegation in trade talks with U.S. negotiators in Washington. It'll be the second such meeting between Trump and Liu in a matter of weeks. (NY Times)
* US keeps demanding actions on the yuan that China wants to take anyway (CNBC)
House Democrats plans to file a resolution this morning to try to block Trump's national emergency declaration. The president announced it last week as a means of freeing up billions to pay for his proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. (USA Today)
The North Carolina State Board of Elections ordered a new election in last year's final undecided U.S. House race, due to allegations of absentee ballot tampering. Republican Mark Harris had led Democrat Dan McCready by about 900 votes. (CNBC)
Venezuela's U.S.-backed opposition is preparing for a showdown with President Nicolas Maduro, when it will try to bring tons of medicine and humanitarian aid into the country in an effort to create divisions among the armed forces keeping the autocrat in power. (WSJ)
Tesla (TSLA) announced today, during an event in Beijing, that it's beginning delivery of the Model 3 in China, at least a week earlier than expected. Elon Musk's electric automaker said in January it planned to start China deliveries of the sedan in March. (CNBC)
* Tesla customers describe maddening problems with returns and refunds (CNBC)
Ford Motor (F) hired outside investigators to look into its fuel economy and testing procedures after workers raised concerns. The automaker said the probe does not involve the use of so-called defeat devices, which have been used to deceive government emissions tests. (CNBC)
Barrick Gold (ABX) is considering a hostile bid for rival Newmont Mining (NEM) for about $19 billion, according to a report in Australia's Globe and Mail newspaper. Last month, Barrick spent $6.1 billion on buying rival Randgold Resources.
Pinterest has confidentially filed for an IPO, and is looking for a valuation of at least $12 billion, The Wall Street Journal reports. Pinterest is one of several tech companies expected to go public this year, including Uber and Lyft.
Queen is opening Sunday's Academy Awards telecast, instead of the traditional 20-minute set of jokes from a host, because the show doesn't have one this year. Here's everything to know about the 2019 Oscars, according to the USA Today.
* 'Captain Marvel' presale tickets have already outpaced those of 'Wonder Woman' (CNBC)
STOCKS TO WATCH
Zillow (ZG) CEO Spencer Rascoff stepped down, effective immediately. Another Zillow co-founder, Rich Barton, takes over. Barton was CEO for five years until 2010. The real estate website also reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter and current quarter revenue.
AutoNation (AN) reported adjusted quarterly profit of $1.10 per share, 4 cents shy of estimates, with revenue also below forecasts. Separately, the company announced that CEO Mike Jackson will step down next month and become executive chairman.
Intuit (INTU) earned an adjusted $1 per share for its fiscal second quarter. The maker of TurboTax also reported-better-than expected revenue as the 2018 tax-filing season gets into full swing after being hampered by the record-long partial government shutdown.
Stamps.com (STMP) gave a much weaker than expected forecast for 2019 after announcing that it had ended its exclusive partnership with the U.S. Postal Service.
Wayfair (W) reported an adjusted quarterly loss of $1.12 per share, smaller than the loss of $1.28 per share that analysts were expecting. Revenue also beat forecasts as the company's active customer count jumped 15.2 percent from a year.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) beat estimates by 7 cents with adjusted quarterly profit of 42 cents per share, while the enterprise computing company fell very slightly short of Street revenue forecasts. HPE also raised its full-year outlook.
Dropbox (DBX) beat estimates by 2 cents with adjusted quarterly profit of 10 cents per share, while the file sharing and storage company also saw revenue beta estimates. However, the company also forecast a drop in operating margins.
First Solar (FSLR) reported quarterly earnings of 49 cents per share, missing the consensus estimate of 64 cents. The solar equipment company also saw revenue fall below Wall Street forecasts, and First Solar also cut its 2019 gross margin forecast.
Roku (ROKU) came in 2 cents ahead of estimates with quarterly profit of five cents per share, with revenue also above forecasts. The maker of video streaming devices also issued an upbeat 2019 outlook.
Baidu (BIDU) reported better than expected sales and profit for its fourth quarter, with strength in its online marketing business as well as its streaming service iQiyi. However, Baidu did say that it spent heavily on content and promotion for the iQiyi service.
WATERCOOLER
A furloughed park ranger from New Jersey was rewarded with a $29.5 million lottery jackpot for weathering the country's longest government shutdown. Judith Smith won the Dec. 17, 2018, Pick-6 Jackpot, the largest Pick-6 haul in over 10 years. (USA Today)
Karl Lagerfeld's cat Choupette is reportedly set to inherit some of the Chanel designer's estimated $195 million fortune. Lagerfeld, who had been the fashion house's creative director since 1983, had died at the age of 85 after a short illness. (CNBC)