BY THE NUMBERS
U.S. stock futures were higher this morning, indicating added gains at the Wall Street open. The Dow stands less than 42 points away from its October record close. The S&P 500 closed Tuesday at another record. The Nasdaq rally puts it less than 1% away from its May all-time high close. (CNBC)
* Cramer: Tech stocks are overvalued, but 'it's not like we've gone crazy' (CNBC)
Ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, the stock market closes at 1 p.m. ET today. "Morning Squawk" will be back Friday when the government is out with its June employment report. ADP issues its private payrolls data for June at 8:15 a.m ET. (CNBC)
* 10-year Treasury yield drops to lowest level since 2016, dipping further below 2% (CNBC)
Today's economic calendar also includes the government's international trade figures for May at 8:30 a.m. ET. The ISM's nonmanufacturing index June and the government's May factory orders are both released 10 a.m. ET. There are no major companies reporting earnings today.
* Weekly mortgage applications stall as rates take a respite (CNBC)
Shares of Tesla were up about 7% in premarket trading after the electric auto maker said it shattered its previous production and delivery records during the second quarter, soundly beating estimates. Tesla also hinted at a strong third quarter, saying it's entering the period with a backlog of orders. (CNBC)
IN THE NEWS TODAY
President Donald Trump announced two new Fed picks, including Judy Shelton, an economic adviser to the president during his 2016 campaign. Shelton's unorthodox monetary beliefs, such as supporting a return to the gold standard, will likely draw questions from lawmakers. (CNBC)
* IMF's Christine Lagarde nominated for top job at European Central Bank (CNBC)
The House Ways and Means Committee sued the Treasury Department and the IRS to get Trump's tax returns. The legal action shows the Democrat-led panel following through on its threat from months earlier, when Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and IRS chief Charles Rettig defied subpoenas. (CNBC)
Homeland Security's independent watchdog reported that overcrowded, dirty conditions at migrant holding centers are more widespread than initially revealed. The findings detailed standing-room-only cells, people clamoring for release and no way to clean clothes. (NY Times)
The Trump administration said it will print the 2020 census without a question about citizenship, bringing to an apparent close a contentious legal battle over that aspect of the decennial survey. The announcement comes after the Supreme Court effectively blocked the addition of the question last week. (CNBC)
Trump has touted his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the weekend as "far better than expected," but several trade and investment experts said Beijing appears to have gained the upper hand. They pointed to concessions Trump made to China, including relief for Huawei while the two nations start talking again about a trade deal. (CNBC)
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned today that Tehran will take the "next step" and increase uranium enrichment this weekend to pass the cap set by the multi-nation nuclear agreement that Trump withdrew from. Iran has repeatedly threatened to increase enrichment unless it receives some relief from U.S. sanctions. (Washington Post)
Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Iran is not the cause of instability in the Persian Gulf and that sanctions against the country are "unlawful." "As regards restrictions on Iranian exports, we support Iran and we believe that the sanctions are unlawful; they have not been approved by the UN," Novak said. (CNBC)
Researchers say they're one step closer to finding a potential cure for HIV after successfully eliminating the virus in living mice for the first time. Using a combination of CRISPR gene-editing technology and a therapeutic treatment called LASER ART, scientists said they erased HIV DNA from the genomes of animals in what they call an unprecedented study. (CNBC)
Lee Iacocca, who transformed the auto industry during a career that included saving Chrysler and launching the Ford Mustang, died Tuesday at the age of 94. He also engineered the purchase of struggling American Motors which brought the Jeep brand under the Chrysler umbrella. He also introduced the Chrysler minivan. (CNBC)
STOCKS TO WATCH
Shares of Symantec (SYMC) were surging about 20% in premarket trading after Bloomberg reported that chipmaker Broadcom (AVGO) is in advanced talks to acquire the struggling security software vendor.
For this year's Prime Day, Amazon (AMZN) is charging "additional funding" to certain grocery brands if sales of their promotional products result in a loss for the e-commerce giant.
Canadian cannabis producer Canopy Growth (CGC) said Bruce Linton will step down as co-chief executive officer, effective immediately. Mark Zekulin, who has been co-CEO with Linton, will help the board search for a new leader.
WATERCOOLER
Without Megan Rapinoe, the U.S. women still found a pair of goals for the third game in a row to beat England 2-1, sending them to the World Cup finals. After scoring what proved to be the deciding goal, Alex Morgan trolled England by mimicking drinking tea, complete with her pinky out. (ESPN)
* Rapinoe, who missed World Cup semifinal with hamstring strain, plans to play in final (USA Today)
Americans know how to celebrate. On this year's 243rd anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, American adults will spend about $1 billion on beer alone. That's roughly the same amount that is spent on fireworks, the majority of which are imported from China. (CNBC)