5 things to know before the stock market opens Monday

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., September 9, 2022.

Brendan Mcdermid | Reuters

Here are the most important news items that investors need to start their trading day:

1. Futures rise

U.S. stock markets were primed to open slightly higher Monday morning, as investors sought momentum from last week’s gains. All three major indexes had been mired in a three-week losing streak as markets grappled with the reality of yet another big rate hike coming from the Federal Reserve. The central bank’s policy-setting committee is expected to raise its benchmark rate by three-quarters of a point next week, even as inflation has shown signs of cooling off somewhat. Investors will get the latest read on inflation Tuesday, when the government is scheduled to report August’s consumer price index.

2. Ukraine strikes back

Service members of the State Security Service of Ukraine pose for a picture in the recently liberated town of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine in this handout picture released Sept. 10, 2022.

Press Service of the State Security Service of Ukraine | Via Reuters

The Ukrainian military has Russia on the run in two portions of the country. After making significant gains in Ukraine’s south, the nation’s armed forces, bolstered by weaponry from the U.S. and other Western allies, unleashed a lightning counteroffensive in the northeast. According to one Russian official, “the situation is becoming more difficult by the hour” for the Kremlin’s forces, in what’s become a humiliating few weeks for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine claims it has retaken this month more than 1,100 square miles of territory that had been occupied by Russia. Follow live updates here.

3. Chapek casts a spell at D23

Bob Chapek, Chief Executive Officer of Disney, speaks at the 2022 Disney Legends Awards during Disney’s D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, September 9, 2022.

Mario Anzuoni | Reuters

Disney CEO Bob Chapek went on a charm offensive over the weekend at the D23 Expo, sending positive messages to fans, employees and investors alike. It appeared to work, too, at least for one big-time activist investor. Third Point CEO Dan Loeb had been pushing the entertainment and media giant to spin off its ESPN operations, but he backed off on this point with a Sunday morning tweet. “We have a better understanding of @espn’s potential as a standalone business and another vertical for $DIS to reach a global audience to generate ad and subscriber revenues,” he said. Chapek had told Variety that Disney has “a vision” for where ESPN fits into the company’s plan for the next 100 years. “We’ve not shared that plan,” he added.