Besides wave of quarterly results, McDonald's news, markets will consider whispers of Fed hikes.
The busiest week of first calendar quarter results kicks off Monday for Wall Street, which will also consider the death of McDonald's CEO, hints of rising interest rates and the continuing violence in Iraq as sources of market instability.
Early Monday, futures pointed to a lower open for the major indexes.
McDonald's said Monday that its Chairman and CEO Jim Cantalupo, 60, died of an apparent heart attack Monday morning at a convention in Orlando, Florida.
Shares of McDonald's (MCD: Research, Estimates) fell 86 cents to $26.60 in before-hours trading Monday.
In addition, investors will digest newspaper reports signaling that the Federal Reserve will be tightening interest rates in the not-so-distant future.
The Financial Times reported Monday that the International Monetary Fund will tell the Fed this week that the world economy needs to be prepared for a credit tightening. In particular, the global lender is concerned about the impact higher rates will have on emerging nations.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Fed will hint at higher rates when policy makers meet May 4 by saying the economy has strengthened and that inflation has revived.
The U.S. military death toll in Iraq reached 700 over the weekend as 11 more combat troops lost their lives. In addition, Spain's new government announced Sunday that it will be bringing home its 1,300 troops as soon as possible.
Also adding to the political jitteriness was Israel's assassination of Hamas' leader in the Gaza, just one month after he assumed control when his predecessor was slain by the Israelis.
The day's only economic report is the index of leading indicators put out by the Conference Board, due after the start of trading. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com see a rise of 0.3 percent in March, compared with no change in February.
The only Dow component reporting results before the opening bell was 3M. The conglomerate reported net income of $722 million, or 90 cents a share, compared with $502 million, or 63 cents a share, a year earlier.
3M had boosted its first-quarter earnings forecast on March 15 to a range of 86 cents to 88 cents a share. Analysts' estimates were in the same range and averaged 87 cents, according to Reuters Research.
The Dow Jones industrial average rallied 0.5 percent Friday to finish slightly ahead for the week. But the Nasdaq composite index, in the wake of negative tech news from Sun Microsystems, IBM and Nokia, slid further to finish down by 2.8 percent for the week (see chart for details).
Asian-Pacific stocks ended mixed Monday, with Tokyo's Nikkei index down 0.5 percent on weakness among bank issues. European markets slipped in early trading. (Check the latest on world markets)
Treasury prices gained ground early Monday, sending the 10-year note yield down to 4.33 percent from 4.34 percent late Tuesday. The dollar gained against the yen, but was lower versus the euro.
Brent oil futures tacked on 8 cents to $33.72 a barrel in London, where gold rose.
The busiest week of first calendar quarter results kicks off Monday for Wall Street, which will also consider the death of McDonald's CEO, hints of rising interest rates and the continuing violence in Iraq as sources of market instability.
Early Monday, futures pointed to a lower open for the major indexes.
McDonald's said Monday that its Chairman and CEO Jim Cantalupo, 60, died of an apparent heart attack Monday morning at a convention in Orlando, Florida.
Shares of McDonald's (MCD: Research, Estimates) fell 86 cents to $26.60 in before-hours trading Monday.
In addition, investors will digest newspaper reports signaling that the Federal Reserve will be tightening interest rates in the not-so-distant future.
The Financial Times reported Monday that the International Monetary Fund will tell the Fed this week that the world economy needs to be prepared for a credit tightening. In particular, the global lender is concerned about the impact higher rates will have on emerging nations.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Fed will hint at higher rates when policy makers meet May 4 by saying the economy has strengthened and that inflation has revived.
The U.S. military death toll in Iraq reached 700 over the weekend as 11 more combat troops lost their lives. In addition, Spain's new government announced Sunday that it will be bringing home its 1,300 troops as soon as possible.
Also adding to the political jitteriness was Israel's assassination of Hamas' leader in the Gaza, just one month after he assumed control when his predecessor was slain by the Israelis.
The day's only economic report is the index of leading indicators put out by the Conference Board, due after the start of trading. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com see a rise of 0.3 percent in March, compared with no change in February.
The only Dow component reporting results before the opening bell was 3M. The conglomerate reported net income of $722 million, or 90 cents a share, compared with $502 million, or 63 cents a share, a year earlier.
3M had boosted its first-quarter earnings forecast on March 15 to a range of 86 cents to 88 cents a share. Analysts' estimates were in the same range and averaged 87 cents, according to Reuters Research.
The Dow Jones industrial average rallied 0.5 percent Friday to finish slightly ahead for the week. But the Nasdaq composite index, in the wake of negative tech news from Sun Microsystems, IBM and Nokia, slid further to finish down by 2.8 percent for the week (see chart for details).
Asian-Pacific stocks ended mixed Monday, with Tokyo's Nikkei index down 0.5 percent on weakness among bank issues. European markets slipped in early trading. (Check the latest on world markets)
Treasury prices gained ground early Monday, sending the 10-year note yield down to 4.33 percent from 4.34 percent late Tuesday. The dollar gained against the yen, but was lower versus the euro.
Brent oil futures tacked on 8 cents to $33.72 a barrel in London, where gold rose.
3287.99
1275.09
