Italian banking stocks fell and government bond yields rose in thin holiday trade on Monday after a report Brussels is considering disciplinary action over Rome’s failure to rein in public debt.

With both the U.S. and China avoiding any severe economic downturn so far, there’s little incentive for the two countries to strike a trade deal quickly, according to UBS Global Wealth Management.

Payment technology company Global Payments could acquire Total System Services. Citing people familiar with the matter (and who refused to be named), a CNBC report claims that the two companies are nearing a $20 billion all-stock deal, expected to be announced Tuesday.In 2018, the company expressed plans to acquire restaurant payment technology company SICOM Systems for $415 million. Total System, on the other hand, acquired small business solution payment company iMobile3 last year, and merchant payment company TransFirst in 2016. Bloomberg reported that Global Payments and Total System Services were engaged in preliminary talks about the deal on Thursday.

Hibbett Sports crushed top and bottom line estimates for the first quarter, on the back of solid growth in same-store and digital sales. The sporting goods retailer  reported adjusted earnings of $1.61 per share, surging past analysts’ expectations of $1.32 per share. Net sales for the quarter climbed +25% year-over-year to $343.3 million, topping analysts' consensus estimate of $327 million.  Hibbett’s total sales for the quarter included nearly $60 million from its City Gear acquisition.Also, same-store sales grew +5.1%, which is far above the -0.7% decline analysts had forecasted. Hibbett’s President and CEO Jeff Rosenthal emphasized that strong performance in both physical stores and e-commerce channels contributed to the first quarter results.

Fiat Chrysler has proposed a $35 billion merger with Renault to create the world’s third-biggest carmaker as manufacturers scramble for scale to tackle an expensive shift to electrification and autonomous driving. The transaction would be structured as 50-50 ownership through a Dutch holding company, Fiat said.In a statement, Renault’s board said it would study what it called a “friendly” proposal.

Teva Pharmaceutical has agreed to pay an $85 million settlement with the state of Oklahoma.The announcement comes just before the company was going to face trial over allegations that it and other drugmakers helped fuel the U.S. opioid epidemic.  Teva, the world’s largest generic drugmaker, said the settlement “does not establish any wrongdoing on the part of the company” and denied contributing to opioid abuse in Oklahoma. Claims against Teva focused on the branded opioid products Actiq and Fentora as well as generic painkillers it produced.

Citigroup Inc., Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are among five banks named in a class action lawsuit in Australia seeking damages for colluding on foreign-exchange trading strategies.  

Wall Street banks severely underestimated the popularity of plant-based foods when pricing the market debut of Beyond Meat (NASDAQ: BYND).The miscalculation has proved costly.

Declaring a national emergency because of tensions with Iran, President swept aside objections from Congress on Friday to complete the sale of over $8B worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan.

In November 2015, tech investor Marc Andreessen weighed in on a hot debate about whether Silicon Valley’s start-ups were frothy from all the cash propping up so-called unicorns, or venture-backed companies valued at $1 billion or more.

The menu director said that while they are exploring meat alternatives, they cannot yet decide whether plant-based meat substitutes will at all be part of the menu. To make that decision final, the company is assessing consumer demand and needs to be completely sure that the products will be sustainable before rolling out. Recently, the company has been under pressure to add a vegetarian-friendly burger to its menu as more and more companies are joining the cohort of meat-based plant substitutes.While its German locations sell such burgers, they are yet to figure out at the level of the individual market. But McDonald’s has been simplifying its menu by removing its line of Signature Crafted sandwiches and burgers and pruning its late-night menu to allow franchisees scale back the all-day breakfast menu. Rival, Restaurant Brands International’s (QSR) Burger King is going to roll out its Impossible Whopper nationwide by the end of the year — a vegetarian version of their flagship san

Best Buy forecast estimate-beating Q2 sales and profit on Thursday as more and more customers opted for the electronic retailer’s tech support services and continue shopping on its website and app. The company clocked in better-than-expected profit in Q1 but shied away from disclosing full-year estimates keeping in mind the potential impact of U.S-China dispute, especially the latest imposition of tariffs on $200 billion worth Chinese goods. Post the announcement, shares of the company rose 2.1% in premarket trade.Key highlights of the Q1 include 40 points gross profit expansion to 23.7%, 14.5% rise of domestic online sales to $1.31 billion accounting for 15.4% of total quarterly revenue, 1.1% same-store sales rise versus an expected 0.9% increase, earnings per share at $1.02 versus estimated 86 cents per share.

Ari Emanuel’s global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor has filed documents with Securities and Exchange Commission and is set to go public this year.The company said that it plans to raise $100 million through its IPO, the figure is typically used as a placeholder before disclosing the actual figure at a later date, proceeds of which will go towards working capital and general corporate purposes. The company’s key talking points for 2018 include revenue at $3.6 billion and a net income of $231.3 million. The company prides itself on breaking away from traditional content like television, movies and live events and making pathway into offbeat categories like podcasts, experiences, social media, multiplayer video games and e-sports. But it believes that wherever there is some content, Endeavor is likely playing a role. Endeavor’s IPO was already anticipated since it merged with the modeling agency IMG in 2013.

Autodesk’s revenue from subscription surged +67% to $595.8 million, slightly below the $599.6 million expectation from analysts polled by FactSet. Looking ahead, the company predicts adjusted earnings per share of 59 cents to 63 cents for the second quarter, compared to 62 cents expected by analysts (based on Refinitiv  poll).It projects revenue of $782 million to $792 million for the quarter, while analysts’ forecast $788.5 million. For the full fiscal year, Autodesk expects adjusted earnings of $2.71 to $2.90 per share, on $3.25 billion to $3.30 billion in revenue.

Foot Locker shares stumbled, following the company’s disappointing fiscal first quarter results.  The sportswear & footwear retailer’s adjusted earnings for the quarter came in at $1.53 per share, lagging behind analysts’ estimates of $1.60 per share.  Revenue increased +2.5% year-over-year to $2.08 billion, but missed analysts’ expectations of $2.11 billion.  Comparable-store sales climbed +4.6% in the quarter, falling behind the expected +5.2%. Foot Locker spent $1.8 million to buy back 32,100 shares during the quarter, an amount lower than what  analysts expected.According to the company, it now expects its earnings per share growth to be at “high-single digits” for the year, versus double-digit growth. The shoe industry is apparently facing the heat from US President Donald Trump’s 25% tariff threat on imported footwear (among other items) from China.

If your company offers a 401(k) plan, it can be an effective way to save for your future: You get tax benefits, the money is automatically taken from your paycheck before you have the chance to spend it and, often, companies offer a match, which is essentially free money. Consistent contributions can even make you a millionaire.In fact, the number of Fidelity 401(k) accounts with a balance of $1 million or more recently hit a record of 180,000. 

An analyst for a firm with a major investment in Tesla said Friday that recent drastic price-target cuts on the stock by others on Wall Street are missing the big picture. Ark Invest, whose founder predicted on CNBC last year that Tesla could hit $4,000 per share, stands by that call, even as the stock has lost about 40% of its value in 2019.

Amazon shares will rally to $3,000 in about two years, making them worth nearly $1.5 trillion, without the company doing much differently than it is doing today, Piper Jaffray told clients on Friday. “We believe AMZN shares will reach $3,000 by sometime between mid-’21 and mid-’22 or within 24-36 months,” analyst Michael Olson said in a note. 

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has held talks with his old rivals the Winklevoss twins as the social media giant plans to launch its own cryptocurrency, the Financial Times reported.

President Donald Trump’s tariffs on China may cost the average American household hundreds of dollars. New York Fed economists think the annual cost jumped to $831 this year from $419 from the last round of tariffs last year.They added that “higher tariffs are likely to create large economic distortions and reduce U.S. tariff revenues.” The tariffs on Chinese goods that went into effect on May 10 — from 10% to 25%.