Dow Jones Industrial Average Today Soars on Merger and Acquisition News

This morning, the Dow Jones Industrial Average projected a big gain in pre-market hours as investors digest a round of huge mergers, and they prepare for another busy week of earnings reports.

It will be another big week for Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL), as the firm will release its Q3 earnings after the bell on Tuesday. The technology giant is also expected to unveil a new line of MacBook computers on Thursday.

APPL stock has been on a big run in the last few months. And we expect that Apple stock will continue to climb.

On Friday, the Dow fell 16 points after the New York Federal Reserve downgraded its forecasts for GDP growth. The NY Fed cut its Q3 GDP expectation from 2.3% to 2.22%, while it slashed its Q4 GDP growth rate from 1.56% to 1.4%.

Friday's Stock Market Numbers:

Dow Jones: 18,145.57; -16.78; -0.09%

S&P 500: 2,141.15; -0.19; -0.01%

Nasdaq: 5,257.40; 15.57; 0.30% 

Now let's look at the most important market events and stocks to watch today, plus your economic calendar, for Oct. 24, 2016.

What's Ahead for the Dow Jones Industrial Average Today

The Dow Jones Industrial Average projected an 80-point gain in pre-market hours as traders eyed falling oil prices, a huge telecommunications merger, and the latest round of earnings reports.

Trending Story: How We're Going to "Short" Samsung

The price of crude oil today is falling after Iraqi officials demanded an exemption from the mega-production freeze proposed by OPEC. Iraq's oil minister said that the country wants to produce more oil and says its market share has been compromised by the regularity of wars in its region since the 1980s. The WTI crude oil price today fell 1.1%, while the Brent crude oil price dipped 0.7%.

Gold prices were on the move today as the U.S. election approaches and concerns about a cratering British pound weigh on trader sentiment. With the U.S. dollar pushing higher, gold prices have fallen in recent weeks. So, where are gold prices heading over the fourth quarter? Money Morning Resource Specialist Peter Krauth offers his latest forecast, right here.

But the big story in pre-market hours is the Federal Reserve. The U.S. central bank is expected to raise interest rates in December. However, the market hasn't been responding yet to the proposed rate hike. Money Morning Technical Trading Specialist D.R. Barton explains this morning how investors can profit from any surprises in the next 60 days.

Stocks to Watch Today, Oct. 24, 2016

• Expect a lot of noise today over a proposed merger between AT&T Corp. (NYSE: T) and Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX). On Saturday night, reports confirmed an $85.4 billion deal between the telecom and cable giants. Despite shares of TWX rallying again in early trading hours, investors are expecting a lot of regulatory scrutiny given the size of the deal. AT&T will argue that the deal will help it better compete against Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA) and Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS).
• Also in deal news, Rockwell Collins Inc. (NYSE: COL) announced a deal to airline interior manufacturer B/E Aerospace Inc. (Nasdaq: BEAV) for $62 per share. The deal is valued at $6.4 billion and adds another $1.9 billion in debt.
• In earnings news, T-Mobile U.S. Inc. (Nasdaq: TMUS) reported its Q3 results in pre-market hours. Shares of TMUS stock rallied 4.17% after the company beat Wall Street profit expectations. The firm reported earnings per share of $0.27, well above Wall Street expectations of $0.22.
• Look for additional earnings reports from Visa Inc. (NYSE: V), Sonic Corp. (Nasdaq: SONC), F. Corp. (NYSE: VFC), Sohu.com Inc. (Nasdaq: SOHU), and Kimberly-Clark Corp. (NYSE: KMB).
• Finally, are you ready to start making some real money? You can do so by investing in Facebook Inc. (Nasdaq: FB). The social media stock continues to rally and just topped $130 per share. And there are five reasons why FB stock is going to surge in the years ahead. Check out our latest FB stock price target.

Today's U.S. Economic Calendar (all times EDT)

• Chicago Fed National Activity Index at 8:30 a.m.
• Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard speaks at 9:05 a.m.
• PMI Manufacturing Index Flash at 9:45 a.m.
• 4-Week Bill Announcement at 11 a.m
• 3-Month Bill Auction at 11:30 a.m.
• 6-Month Bill Auction at 11:30 a.m.
• Chicago Federal Reserve President Charles Evans speaks at 1:30 p.m.

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