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Happy Monday. If you tuned in to CNBC early this morning, you may have seen the first broadcast of CNBC’s new 5 a.m. ET show, “Wake Up Call,” anchored by Morgan Brennan.
Stock futures are soaring this morning. The three major averages are coming off another down week.
Here are five important things investors need to know to start their trading day.
1. At the table
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before leaving the White House for Miami on March 20, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Celal Gunes | Anadolu | Getty Images
Stock futures are surging this morning after President Donald Trump said the US would delay attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure for five days following a “good and productive dialogue” between the two countries.
Here’s what you need to know:
Dow Jones Industrial Average Futures “We are very eager to make a deal with Iran,” Trump said in a phone call with CNBC’s Joe Kernen shortly after the announcement, as Iranian state media denied the two countries were in direct talks, and said on Saturday that the United States would attack Iranian power plants if the Strait of Hormuz collapsed. Trading did not resume even after 48 hours. Stocks are coming out of a rough patch: The Dow posted four consecutive weeks of losses for the first time since 2023, while small-cap stocks were the focus. russell 2000 We have entered the correction area. Follow live market updates here.
2. Line up and get ready
A pilot walks past travelers waiting in line at a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) on Friday, March 20, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Ilya Nouberge | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Tom Homan, the White House’s director of border protection, announced yesterday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will be sent to U.S. airports starting today to ease long security lines. Homan said ICE agents will assist in roles such as guarding exit doors so TSA agents can focus on screening travelers.
Travelers are facing long airport security lines at airports across the country as the Department of Homeland Security shutdown enters its second month. Hundreds of TSA employees have retired since the shutdown began, and additional employees have been called in instead to work without pay.
Meanwhile, an Air Canada Express plane carrying passengers and crew collided with a fire truck as it landed at New York’s LaGuardia Airport late last night. Both pilots were killed and dozens of others were injured.
3. A little bird said to me
Elon Musk will appear in federal court in San Francisco, California on March 4, 2026.
Josh Edelson | Getty Images
A California jury on Friday found billionaire Elon Musk defrauded Twitter investors before acquiring the social media platform. Lawyers for the plaintiffs said damages could reach up to $2.6 billion.
The class action lawsuit was filed in 2022 after Tesla’s CEO bought Twitter (later renamed to X) for $54.20 per share. The plaintiffs argued that Musk’s comments and tweets in the run-up to the acquisition amounted to a plan to pressure Twitter’s board of directors to sell the company to Musk for a lower price than Musk originally offered.
Following Friday’s ruling, lawyers for the plaintiffs called Musk’s actions “a great example of what the average investor cannot do.” Musk’s lawyer said in an emailed statement that the ruling was a “difficult decision” and that he “looks forward to being vindicated on appeal.”
4. Public awareness
Omar Marquez | Light Rocket | Getty Images
OpenAI spent the last year closing a flurry of infrastructure deals to secure computing power. But the artificial intelligence startup is taking a more cautious approach as it prepares for a possible public offering.
CEO Sam Altman has acknowledged supply chain issues and the impact of severe weather on data centers in recent weeks. “So many things can go wrong” when working at this scale, he said at a conference this month.
Altman seems to realize that OpenAI will have to backtrack on some spending plans and abandon some ideas in order to make the company acceptable to Wall Street. “OpenAI realized that the market didn’t necessarily appreciate a reckless approach to growth and spending,” said Futurum Group’s Daniel Newman.
5. Jewel of Justice
A 13.54-carat Paraiba-shaped tourmaline and diamond necklace by Tiffany & Co. sold for $4.2 million at Christie’s auction in New York last December, 10 times its reserve price.
Provided by: Christie’s Images Ltd. 2026
Market volatility is driving wealthy investors toward tangible assets. One particularly popular investment is colored gemstones.
As CNBC’s Lisa Kailai Han reports, the resale market and rising gold prices are strengthening the position of jewelry that can maintain its value over time. Now, collectors are looking beyond diamonds to stones like rubies, sapphires, and emeralds.
One example of the demand for jewelry was the Christie’s auction late last year. A Tiffany necklace with a sparkling blue tourmaline gemstone sold for 10 times its reserve price. The matching earrings were also more expensive than expected.
daily dividend
This week we will be following:
Monday: January Construction Spending Wednesday: beyond meat Income (after the bell). February import and export price index Friday: March consumer sentiment data
—CNBC’s Michelle Fox, Azhar Sukri, Aneek Bao, Sam Meredith, Sarah Ming, Lisa Kai-Lai Hung, Sean Conlon, Garrett Downs, Leslie Josephs, Laura Kolodny, Ashley Caputo and Reuter contributed to this report. Josephine Rozzelle edited this version.
