STOCKS/ECONOMY
-Stock futures are lower after Friday's steep selloff as investors get increasingly nervous about rising interest rates.
-The yield on the 10-year Treasury bond is up to 4.78 percent.
-Gold is at the $2,703 per ounce level. Bitcoin is down to the $91,100 level.
-Asian markets closed lower today. The Nikkei sold off by 1.1 percent, the Hang Seng fell 1 percent, and the Shenzhen broke even at the close.
OIL/ENERGY
-U.S. crude prices are up and surging to the $78 a barrel level.
-Gasoline prices are still holding at $3.06 a gallon, national average.
PHARMA FAIL
-Moderna (MRNA) has just released its 2025 sales forecast by $1 billion compared to 2024. Its shares are down 19 percent in the premarket.
MERGER MONDAY
-Bill Ackman's Pershing Square investment fund is creating a new entity to buy and merge with real estate company Howard Hughes Holdings (HHH). Hughes Holdings shares are up 9 percent in the premarket on the news.
-Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) is buying drug maker Intra-Cellular Therapies (ITCI) for $14.6 billion. Intra-Cellular shares are up 35 percent in the premarket. J&J shares are up slightly. Intra-Cellular's main product is Caplyta, which is used to treat symptoms related to bi-polar disorder.
RETAIL SIGNS
-Lululemon (LULU) is raising its guidance for what investors can expect when it reports its Christmas season quarterly results in the coming weeks. Its shares are up 3 percent in the premarket.
-But Macy's (M) released weaker than expected advance guidance for its Christmas season quarterly results, and its shares are down 2 percent in the premarket.
-Abercrombie & Fitch actually raised its Christmas quarter guidance, but its shares are still down 9 percent in the premarket because the projected numbers are still weaker than a year ago.
TECH SPINOFF
-Intel (INTC) is planning on spinning off its 3D camera division RealSense as an Israeli-based standalone company. Intel shares are down 1 percent in the premarket.
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