1. Fox hunt: Shares in Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox surged in extended trading after it became clear the media giant has multiple suitors.
Comcast and Verizon have both held discussions about acquiring most of the company, according to sources familiar with the talks.
One of the sources cautioned that discussions are at a “very early” stage, but that Murdoch seems genuinely motivated to sell.
Disney has also expressed interest in a similar deal. Those talks are no longer active, but could be revived.
The suitors want Fox’s movie and television studios, entertainment cable networks, and international businesses. Fox would keep its news and sports holdings.
Any deal would be a global media blockbuster.
2. Tesla surprises: What will investors think of this? Tesla unveiled two electric vehicles on Thursday.
The first is an all-new version of its Roadster sports car that can go from a stop to 60 miles an hour in 1.9 seconds. The $200,000 car will have a range of 620 miles and a top speed of over 250 miles an hour.
The second is a new semi-truck, which CEO Elon Musk said can go zero-to-60 in five seconds with an empty trailer. With a full load, the truck can still reach that speed in 20 seconds, much faster than any diesel-powered truck.
3. Oil leak in U.S.: TransCanada shares could take a hit after the firm announced an oil leak from its Keystone Pipeline in Marshall County, South Dakota.
A total of 210,000 gallons of oil leaked out before crews shut down the pipeline Thursday morning. The amount of leaked oil is equivalent to one-third of an Olympic swimming pool.
Officials are investigating the cause of the leak.
Nebraska officials are expected to announce a decision in the coming days on whether the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline, a sister project, can move forward.
4. Global stock market overview: U.S. stock futures were lower after a stunning rally on Thursday.
Stocks soared thanks to strong quarterly results and healthy outlooks from Cisco Systems and Walmart. A tax reform bill — which has a long way to go — was approved by the House.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose nearly 200 points to snap a two-day losing streak. The S&P 500 added 0.8% and the Nasdaq jumped 1.3% to hit a record high.
European markets dipped in early trading on Friday. Asian markets ended the day with mixed results.
5. Earnings and economics: Retailers Abercrombie & Fitch, Buckle and Foot Locker will release earnings before the opening bell on Friday.
Shares in Ross Stores are expected to surge at the open after the company reported better-than-expected quarterly numbers.
The U.S. Census Bureau will release data on October housing starts and building permits at 8:30 a.m. ET.
6. Coming this week:
Friday — Abercrombie & Fitch earnings