5 things to know before the opening of the stock market on Monday, April 12

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

1. Stocks will decline after the record closes for the Dow and S&P 500

Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

Source: NYSE

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi speaks at a product launch event in San Francisco, California on September 26, 2019.

Philip Pacheco | AFP through Getty Images

Uber posted record gross bookings for March on Monday, signaling an increase in demand for payment. The technology giant’s walking activity was hit hard by pandemic blockages last year. However, Uber benefited from a food delivery boom, which helped limit losses in 2020. Uber shares rose 2% in Monday’s premarket.

2. Powell says the Fed is “very unlikely” to raise rates this year

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks at a virtual press conference in Tiskilwa, Illinois, on December 16, 2020.

Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell reaffirmed the central bank’s commitment to maintaining a light monetary policy, despite what he sees as a rapidly recovering economy from the depths of the pandemic. “I think it’s very unlikely that we’re going to raise rates like this year,” Powell told “60 Minutes” in an interview Sunday. “I am able to guarantee that the Fed will do everything we can to support the economy as long as it is needed to complete the recovery,” he added. This support includes near-zero short-term loan rates and $ 120 billion a month in bond purchases.

3. The Covid variant avoids some protection against the vaccine

A healthcare worker administers a dose of Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine at a mobile clinic near Moshav Dalton in northern Israel on February 22, 2021.

Jalaa Marey | AFP | Getty Images

The coronavirus variant discovered in South Africa is able to escape some of the protection of the two-shot vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, according to a new Israeli study. The researchers found that the prevalence of the strain among patients who received both doses of the vaccine was about eight times higher than those who were not vaccinated.

View of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ corporate and research and development headquarters on Old Saw Mill River Road in Tarrytown, New York.

Lev Radin | LightRocket | Getty Images

Regeneron intends to ask the FDA to allow its Covid antibody therapy to be used as a preventative treatment. In a third-phase clinical trial, the company said the drug cocktail reduced the risk of symptomatic infections in individuals by 81%. The therapy was given to then-President Donald Trump shortly after he was diagnosed with coronavirus last year.

4. The executive directors meet for the White House summit; Biden meets with parliamentarians in the field of infrastructure

US President Joe Biden speaks while announcing executive action on the prevention of gun violence in the rose garden at the White House in Washington, April 8, 2021.

Kevin Lamarque | Reuters

5. Microsoft in advanced talks to buy Nuance with about $ 16 billion

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella speaks at the upcoming Decoded Technology Summit in Bengaluru, India, on February 25, 2020.

Samyukta Lakshmi | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Microsoft is in advanced talks to buy speech recognition firm Nuance Communications, a person familiar with the talks told CNBC. A transaction could be announced as soon as Monday, the person said, adding that Microsoft is willing to pay about $ 56 per share. Nuance shares rose nearly 24% in Monday’s premarket to more than $ 56. Buying Nuance could expand Microsoft’s capabilities in voice software. With $ 16 billion, Nuance would be Microsoft’s second largest acquisition, after LinkedIn’s $ 27 billion acquisition in 2016. Microsoft’s shares have been little changed.

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