Here is what you need to know.
Stocks closed at record highs on Friday. The S&P 500 settled at 2,874.69, erasing any doubt about this being the longest-running bull market in US history.
Powell says he sees interest rates rising gradually. “The economy is strong,” Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said in his speech at the Kansas City Fed’s Jackson Hole Symposium on Friday. “Inflation is near our 2 percent objective, and most people who want a job are finding one … If the strong growth in income and jobs continues, further gradual increases in the target range for the federal funds rate will likely be appropriate.”
The yield curve is at its narrowest point since 2007. The spread between the US 10-year and two-year yields touched 19 basis points on Monday. It has gone negative before every recession dating back to the 1960s.
A group of investors with $16 trillion at stake is struggling to find success, and its survival is in jeopardy. Fewer mutual funds are missing their benchmarks, and JPMorgan and Vanguard Group recently announced new announced products that could put the active-management industry under even more strain.
Main Street's thriving job market could be foreshadowing a stock meltdown - and mass layoffs across Wall Street. As Main Street workers enjoy their lowest unemployment rate in 18 years, the fact it's so low could portend a dangerous period ahead for markets, according to Leuthold's chief investment strategist, Jim Paulsen.
Elon Musk now plans to keep Tesla public. "After giving this a lot of thought, I have come to the conclusion that the best path for the foreseeable future is for Tesla to remain a public company," Musk told Tesla employees in an email sent Friday. "There are certainly a number of very compelling reasons to go private, so this is far from an obvious decision, but, on balance, being public appears to best serve the interests of Tesla and those who have invested in our future."
Tesla shares are lower. They are down 4.49% at $308.32 apiece following Musk's announcement. He had tweeted on August 7 that he was trying to take the electric-car maker private at $420 a share.
The Turkish lira is under pressure. The lira is weaker by 3.36% at 6.1839 per dollar as Turkish markets reopened after a week of holiday.
Stock markets around the world are higher. Hong Kong's Hang Seng (+2.17%) led the gains in Asia, and Germany's DAX (+0.57%) is out front in Europe. The S&P 500 is set to open up 0.26% near 2,882.
US economic data is light. Dallas Fed manufacturing will cross the wires at 10:30 a.m. ET. The US 10-year yield is up 1 basis point at 2.82%.
