Here are the most important news items that investors need to start their trading day:

1. Climbing

Stocks continued their gains on Monday ahead of a Federal Reserve meeting and the release of major corporate earnings. The S&P 500 climbed 0.32% while the Nasdaq CompositeDow Jones Industrial AverageTeslaAppleAmazonAdvanced Micro DevicesStarbucks. Follow live market updates.

2. McDonald’s mixed

A sign for the U.S. fast food restaurant chain McDonald’s is seen outside one of their restaurants in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, near Brussels, Belgium March 4, 2024. 
Yves Herman | Reuters

McDonald’s

3. Three-E-Os

Paramount executive Bob Bakish attends the 2022 MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) at the PSD Bank Dome in Duesseldorf, Germany, November 13, 2022. 
Thilo Schmuelgen | Reuters

Paramount Globalannounced Monday that CEO Bob Bakish will be replaced by an “Office of the CEO” headed by three executives. The media giant will be led by CBS President and CEO George Cheeks; Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks; and Brian Robbins, the head of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon. The announcement comes as Paramount is nearing a merger with Skydance Media. Paramount also reported mixed results for the first quarter Monday that beat on earnings but missed on revenue.

4. Luxury demand poor

The Porsche Mission X on display at the IAA Mobility 2023 show in Munich, Germany.
Arjun Kharpal | CNBC

Volkswagen reported a 20% drop in operating profit for the first quarter as it saw weaker demand for its premium brands. Vehicle sales totaled 2.1 million units in the quarter, down about 2%. Operating profit for the German carmaker’s luxury brand Porsche plummeted about 30% compared with a year ago. Meanwhile, global automaker Stellantis reported a 12% decline in revenue. The company cited lower sales and foreign exchange fees as net pricing held firm.

5. New label

People talk outside a Wal-Mart Pickup-Grocery store in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Rick Wilking | Reuters

Walmart is rolling out a new grocery brand. The big-box retailer announced Tuesday it will sell more trend-and chef-driven foods under a private label called BetterGoods. Most items will cost less than $5. Walmart’s low-priced reputation has helped its food business as shoppers have faced high inflation. The company is the largest U.S. grocer by revenue and about 60% of its domestic sales came from groceries in the most recent fiscal year.

CNBC’s Alex Harring, Amelia Lucas, Lillian Rizzo, Sophie Kiderlin, Jenni Reid and Melissa Repko contributed to this report.

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