5 things to know before the stock market opens on Monday, March 21

Here are the most important news, trends and analysis investors need to start their trading day:

US stock futures was little changed on Monday after a sharp rise last week saw Dow Jones Industrial Averagethe S&P 500 and Nasdaq each records their best weekly performances since November 2020. Dow stock Boeing fell 5% in currency markets after a 737-800 jet crashed with 132 people on board in China. Investors are also watching developments in Russia’s war with Ukraine.

• Friday’s protest limited to a week, with the Dow up 5.5%, the S&P 500 up nearly 6.2% and the Nasdaq up 8.2%. All three stock benchmarks broke multi-week bearish streaks. Only Nasdaq is still correcting.
• US oil prices on Monday rose 4% to $109 per barrel as European Union countries considered joining US oil embargo on Russia, while weekend attack on Saudi oil facilities has raised concerns.
• The 10-year Treasury yield Monday has risen about 2.24%. After the first rate hike last week in more than three years, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell will speak at the annual meeting of the National Association for Business Economics at 12 p.m. ET.

Warren BuffettBerkshire Hathaway Monday morning said it had agreed to buy the insurance company Alleghany for $11.6 billion, or $848.02 per share, in cash. Shares of Alleghany, which closed at $676.75 on Friday, rose to that purchase price in the money markets on Monday. For the acquisition, Buffett dipped in BerkshireThe massive cash hoard amounts to $146.72 billion by the end of 2021. The sale, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year, comes after Berkshire’s Class A shares hit a record high in last week, closed above $500,000 for the first time.

China’s civil aviation authority said A Boeing 737-800 jet operated by China Eastern Airlines crashed Monday in the southern region of Guangxi. There was no immediate information on the fate of the 123 passengers and 9 crew members. Boeing told the AP news agency that it was aware of initial reports of the crash and was “working to gather more information.” The incident happened when the company was try to restore its reputation after a number of major accidents in recent years.

chairperson Joe Biden added a stop in Poland to this week’s trip to Europe for urgent negotiations with NATO and its European allies on Russian attack in Ukraine. Poland, a key ally in the Ukraine crisis, is hosting thousands of American troops and taking in more Ukrainian refugees than any other country. White House officials said Biden has no plans to travel to Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials on Monday refuse Russia demanded the surrender of Mariupol in exchange for safe passage out of the besieged strategic port city. In the capital Kyiv, Russian shelling devastated a shopping mall near the city center. The British Ministry of Defense said on Monday that Ukrainian resistance has kept most of Russia’s forces more than 15 miles from central Kyiv.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was hospitalized since Friday due to infection. The court did not provide further details about the infection, but said Thomas was being treated with antibiotics and his “flu-like symptoms” were in remission. The court said Thomas, among a 6-3 conservative majority, plans to participate in lawsuits this week even if he misses arguments.

• The announcement of the 73-year-old’s hospitalization comes as the Senate Judiciary Committee prepares to begin confirmation hearings Monday against Ketanji Brown Jackson. The 51-year-old judge is Biden’s pick to succeed in resigning liberal justice Stephen Breyer.

– CNBC reporters Vicky McKeever, Fred Imbert, Evelyn Cheng and Karen Gilchrist as well as The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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