Markets were relatively quiet Monday after hitting new records last week, but individual stocks could garner some attention.
Here are 3 things you need to know before the bell:
1. Stocks edging back after hitting all-time highs: U.S. stock futures were little changed before the opening bell.
U.S. stocks closed at record highs Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all ending about half a percent higher for the day. Investors were in a good mood after the monthly U.S. jobs report showed stronger-than-expected hiring trends.
The level of fear and volatility in the markets has fallen sharply, helped by the continued flow of cheap central bank money and steady economic data.
Related: Fear & Greed Index still extremely greedy
2. Stocks in focus -- Apple, Tyson Foods: Apple's 7-for-1 stock split goes into effect Monday. The tech giant is issuing more shares to existing investors in order to bring down the price of the stock. Apple (AAPL) stock closed at about $646 Friday, but it will be under $100 when it opens.
Shares of Hillshire Brands (HSH) jumped 5% after Tyson Foods (TSN) raised its bid for the maker of brands like Jimmy Dean and Hillshire Farm. Both Tyson and Pilgrim's Pride (PILGR) had been in a bidding war to buy Hillshire, but Pilgrim's withdrew its bid.
3. International movements: European markets were mostly edging higher in morning trading.
Asian markets all ended with gains. The Nikkei in Japan rose by 0.3% after official GDP figures for the first quarter were revised to show the economy grew at a stronger than expected rate of 1.6% compared to the last quarter of 2013. The previous estimate for GDP growth was 1.5%.
