10 things before the opening bell
Welcome to 10 Things Before the Opening Bell.
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Let's get into it.
1. Global stocks are rising after McConnell offered to extend the debt ceiling deadline to December. With a US default less likely, Friday's monthly jobs figures are in focus, while bitcoin trades around five-month highs. See what's moving on the markets.
2. Gary Gensler says popular leveraged ETFs carry serious risks for retail investors. These funds could pose a systemic threat to the financial system at large, said the SEC Chair. Read Gensler's full warning.
3. Goldman Sachs named their stock picks for the upcoming earnings season. The firm is looking at the stocks with the most upside relative to current levels. See their 40 picks - including two that could nearly double.
4. Earnings on deck: Lawson Inc., ConAgra Foods, and Tilray, all reporting.
5. Billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn revealed a nearly 5% stake in Southwest Gas. He also blasted the utility's $2 billion deal to buy Questar Pipeline. He highlighted several problems including rising costs - see his full comments here.
6. Cathie Wood's flagship fund dumped nearly all of its Nintendo stake. The move comes ahead of the video game company's Switch console update. Get the scoop on why analysts aren't bullish on Nintendo.
7. Retail investors are dumping shares of COVID-19 vaccine makers and swapping for antiviral pill maker Merck. The pill is meant to cut COVID risks, and individual investors have bought $288 million worth of Merck stock since last Friday. One analyst expects the emerging trend to continue to grow.
8. Gambling helplines have seen a roughly 50% surge in day-trading-related calls amid the SEC's 'gamification' probe of retail brokerages. The sharp uptick stems from a user experience that blurs the line between gambling and investing, said one expert. The CEO of Robinhood had a different response.
9. Meet a 33-year-old real estate mogul co-owns 167 rental units. He rehabs homes after putting zero money down, and then looks for a tenant to qualify for a conventional loan. He explained the pros and cons to his property-buying strategy.
10. Bitcoin to $70,000 by December? This Wall Street veteran-turned crypto trading CEO thinks so. B2C2 CEO Rob Catalanello shared why he anticipates a bitcoin boom - and also gave his two undervalued altcoin picks.
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Compiled by Phil Rosen. Feedback? Email prosen@insider.com or tweet @philrosenn.
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