Dow Jones Industrial Average Futures Dip Ahead of Earnings Storm

Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) futures are trading modestly below fair value this morning, as Wall Street braces for a huge week on the earnings front. A day before its own earnings release, Dow stock Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) is dominating M&A headlines after agreeing to buy Yahoo! Inc.'s (NASDAQ:YHOO) core assets. Meanwhile, sliding oil prices could also be weighing on stocks -- September-dated crude futures have lost 1.2% to sit at $43.65 per barrel -- a session after the Dow notched its fourth straight weekly win. 

Continue reading for more on today's market, including: ​

• U.S. retail challenges sent this shoe stock spiraling to a 22% loss.
• Are Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) expectations "simply too high"? Not for these option bulls.
• Put players cashed in on General Electric Company's (NYSE:GE) post-earnings plunge.
• Plus... Global stocks rise, Verizon scoops up Yahoo, and 2 other M&A developments. 

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) are 9.9 points below fair value. 

5 Things You Need to Know Today
 

1. Stocks in Asia and Europe are slightly higher ahead of this week's central bank meetings.
2. The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 826,222 call contracts traded on Friday, compared to 490,338 put contracts. The resultant single-session equity put/call ratio dropped to 0.59, while the 21-day moving average remained at 0.64.
3. After months of speculation, VZ has agreed to buy YHOO's core internet business and real estate for roughly $4.8 billion in cash. YHOO shares are edging lower in pre-market trading, though, last seen down 1%. Meanwhile, VZ is slightly higher ahead of the open. 
4. In other M&A news, Reuters reported over the weekend that Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) and SolarCity Corp (NASDAQ:SCTY) are close to finalizing an agreement to merge the companies. TSLA CEO Elon Musk last week provided upbeat comments about the possibility of the acquisition, which is part of his "master plan." 
5. Finally, entertainment firm AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc (NYSE:AMC) raised its buyout offer for Carmike Cinemas, Inc. (NASDAQ:CKEC) to almost $1.2 billion, or $33.06 per share, in a cash-and-stock deal. AMC originally offered to buy CKEC for $30 per share earlier in the year. 

Earnings and Economic Data

The Dallas Fed manufacturing survey leads off the economic data. Express Scripts (ESRX), Gilead Sciences (GILD), Kimberly-Clark (KMB), Las Vegas Sands (LVS), Philips (PHG), Sprint (S), and Texas Instruments (TXN) are scheduled to report earnings. To see what's coming up on this week's schedule, click here. 

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