Morning Brief

What to watch today: Stock futures fail to follow through on Wall Street's comeback

BY THE NUMBERS

U.S. stock futures fell Tuesday as earnings reports from major U.S. corporations poured in ahead of after-the-bell quarterly results from Microsoft and Google parent Alphabet, the first of the megatech companies out this week. (CNBC)

Wall Street saw a major turnaround Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average reversing a 488-point decline to close 238 points or 0.7% higher. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq erased losses, finishing up 0.6% and 1.3%, respectively. (CNBC)

Bond yields ticked lower on economic slowdown concerns Tuesday as a number of key reports were hitting before the bell. March Durable goods orders matched estimates. Also coming up are February S&P/Case-Shiller housing data at 9 a.m. ET, as well as March new home sales and April consumer confidence at 10 a.m. ET. (CNBC)

PepsiCo's (PEP) better-than-expected revenue and adjusted profit in the first quarter led a crush of S&P 500 companies reporting earnings Tuesday. One day after rival Coca-Cola delivered strong earnings and maintained its guidance, PepsiCo raised its full-year forecast for organic revenue growth. (CNBC)

IN THE NEWS TODAY

Twitter (TWTR) CEO Parag Agrawal told employees Monday the future of the social media firm is uncertain after Elon Musk's take-private transaction closes. Agrawal spoke during a companywide town hall meeting that was heard by Reuters. Musk, the world's richest person and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is expected to address Twitter staff for a question-and-answer session at a later date. (Reuters)

* Musk's deal to buy Twitter leaves many key questions unanswered (CNBC)
* Musk says he wants free speech but track record suggests otherwise (CNBC)

Among those reacting to Twitter on Monday reaching a buyout deal with Musk is fellow billionaire and co-founder of the social network Jack Dorsey. In a tweet Monday night, Dorsey wrote: "Elon is the singular solution I trust. I trust his mission to extend the light of consciousness."

* Jeff Bezos suggests Musk's Twitter takeover may give China 'leverage' (CNBC)

Biden administration officials are closely watching Musk's purchase of Twitter, according to more than half a dozen advisors to the president. Some on Biden's team are growing increasingly concerned that the Tesla CEO will allow Trump and other Republican operatives who were banned from Twitter to return to the platform. (CNBC)

* Trump says he won’t return to Twitter if Musk were to reverse ban (CNBC)
* In D.C., Musk’s Twitter deal either a free speech victory or fuel to tax rich (CNBC)

Fidelity Investments will allow investors to add a bitcoin account to their 401(k)s, according to The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday. The 23,000 companies using Fidelity to administer their retirement savings offerings will have the option to add bitcoin to their plans later this year, the Journal's report said.

Delta Air Lines (DAL) said it will start paying flight attendants during boarding, a first for a major U.S. airline and an initiative that comes during a unionization drive for the Atlanta-based airline's biggest work group. Usually, flight attendants are paid starting when the boarding doors close. (CNBC)

The U.S. is expanding access to oral antiviral treatments against Covid such as Pfizer's Paxlovid by doubling the number of locations where they are available, the White House said Tuesday. Drugstores participating in the federal pharmacy program will be able to order the free pills directly from the U.S. government starting this week. (Reuters)

Three-quarters of Beijing's 22 million citizens lined up for coronavirus tests Tuesday as authorities in the Chinese capital raced to stamp out a nascent outbreak under the country's zero-Covid policy. They want to avoid the debilitating citywide lockdown that's hampered China's biggest city of Shanghai for a month. (Reuters)

Russia pounded eastern Ukraine on Tuesday as the U.S. defense secretary promised to "keep moving heaven and earth" to get Kyiv the weapons it needs to repel the new offensive even as Moscow warned such support risked widening the war. (AP)

The Biden administration on Monday reversed a Trump administration plan that would have allowed the government to lease more than two-thirds of the country's largest swath of public land to oil and gas drilling. The decision returns to an Obama administration plan. (CNBC)

STOCKS TO WATCH

General Electric (GE) fell 3.5% despite topping estimates in its quarterly report. The company confirmed its previous full-year profit guidance range and said it sees challenges from inflation and supply chain issues.

United Parcel Service (UPS) gained 1.7% after beating analyst estimates on the top and bottom lines. UPS reported adjusted earnings per share of $3.05 on revenues of $24.38 billion while analysts expected $2.88 earnings per share on $23.79 billion in revenue.

3M (MMM) was flat premarket after reporting quarterly earnings that topped estimates. The company saw revenues of $8.83 billion while analysts expected $8.74 billion in revenue.

D.R. Horton (DHI) rose 2.8% during premarket trading after beating analyst estimates in the previous quarter. D.R. Horton reported adjusted earnings of $4.03 a share on revenues of $8 billion. Analysts anticipated $3.37 adjusted earnings per share on $7.62 billion in revenue.