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Fans of football and award shows were able to breathe a sigh of relief over the weekend, as DirecTV and Disney (DIS) agreed to a distribution deal Saturday, bringing Disney-owned channels back to DirecTV subscribers.

The timing of the agreement meant that roughly 11 million Americans had access to ESPN, ABC, National Geographic, and other channels returned ahead of college football, Sunday's Emmy Awards broadcast, and Monday Night Football featuring the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons.

As part of the new contract, DirecTV will be able to offer subscribers access to genre-specific packages like sports or family programming through Disney's channels, along with access to Disney's streaming services in Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+.

“Through this first-of-its-kind collaboration, DIRECTV and Disney are giving customers the ability to tailor their video experience through more flexible options," the companies said in a statement. "DIRECTV and Disney have a long-standing history of connecting consumers to the best entertainment, and this agreement furthers that commitment by recognizing both the tremendous value of Disney’s content and the evolving preferences of DIRECTV’s customers."

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Pfizer (PFE) said this weekend that a drug aimed at helping cancer patients losing appetite and muscle mass showed positive results in a Phase 2 trial.

The pharma giant said ponsegromabwill start late-stage trials next year. The drug aims to treat cancer cachexia, the life-threatening wasting condition that often affects patients with the disease.

"This study showed us those who received ponsegromab had improvement in body weight, muscle mass, quality of life, and physical function," said Dr. Jeffrey Crawford, principal investigator and George Barth Geller Professor for Research at Duke Cancer Institute.

Pfizer said cachexia affects about 9 million people worldwide but there are no Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatments.

Pfizer shares are up less than 1% about 45 minutes before the opening bell Monday and are 2% higher this year.

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Shares in Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A, BRK.B) will likely remain in the spotlight to start the week as the stock continues to retreat from a record high set earlier this month that saw the conglomerate's market capitalization briefly surpass $1 trillion for the first time.

Bearish sentiment in recent days could potentially relate to a regulatory filing last Wednesday that revealed Berkshire’s top insurance executive, Ajit Jain, sold more than half his Class A shares in the company. Jain’s insider selling, coupled with the conglomerate slowing its stock repurchases and letting its cash pile swell to $277 billion, has possibly raised valuation concerns among investors.

While the industrial conglomerate’s more-affordable Class B stock was nearly 8% below its Sept. 4 high through Friday’s close, it has still gained around 26% since the start of the year, handily outpacing the S&P 500’s 18% return over the same period. Class B shares were up 0.2% at $448.70 in premarket trading about two hours before Monday's opening bell.

Below, we’ll take a closer look at what the technicals on Berkshire’s chart are saying and discuss important price levels to watch out for.

Since a doji candlestick marked the stock’s record high earlier this month, the price has undergone an orderly retracement.

Importantly, during the decline, trading volumes have decreased, indicating slowing selling momentum.

Looking ahead, investors should eye three lower price levels on Berkshire’s chart likely to remain in play amid further weakness.

The first sits around $446, an area just below Friday’s closing price where the shares could attract buying interest near the July swing high and a minor pause in the stock’s impulsive move higher between early August and early September.

A failure to hold this level could see the shares decline to the $421 area, a location on the chart where investors may look for buying opportunities near a horizontal line linking the prominent February and April peaks with several trading levels situated in close proximity to last month’s low.

Ongoing selling in Berkshire shares may bring the $398 region into play. This area, which lies slightly below a multi-month uptrend line and the 200-day moving average, would likely encounter support from a trendline connecting a series of price action from early February to early May.

If Berkshire shares find a floor at current levels and resume their longer-term uptrend, investors should monitor the $480 level, an area where investors may look to exit the stock around its record high. Such a move which would complete a basic five phase Elliot Wave pattern.

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FedEx (FDX) is set to report fiscal 2025 first-quarter earnings after the bell Thursday, with analysts expecting the shipping giant to post year-over-year revenue and profit gains.

Analysts polled by Visible Alpha expect net income of $1.16 billion on revenue of $21.96 billion, up from $1.08 billion and $21.68 billion, respectively, in the first quarter of fiscal 2024.

Analysts are largely optimistic about FedEx's stock, with 11 "buy" ratings and just "hold" and one "sell" rating apiece, according to Visible Alpha's database, with an average price target of $323.50, nearly 13% above Friday's closing level.

In its fourth-quarter report in June, FedEx introduced its projections for fiscal 2025. It guided low- to mid-single-digit revenue growth, while analysts expect growth of just over 2% from last year's $87.69 billion. The company also saw earnings per share (EPS) between $18.25 and $20.25, 6% to 18% better than the $17.21 generated in fiscal 2024, while analysts expect $19.87.

FedEx will be losing out on one source of revenue later this month, when its contract with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) officially ends and shipping rival UPS (UPS) takes over as the USPS' official air freight carrier. In April, FedEx said it was unable to reach "mutually agreeable terms" with the USPS, and said it planned to "implement adjustments" to its shipping network to adjust for the lost volume and further improve profitability.

In April 2023, FedEx announced plans to restructure and cut an estimated $4 billion in costs by 2025. The plan largely has paid off, with FedEx mostly posting substantial profit improvements despite revenue declines or slight gains in recent quarters.

FedEx looked to cut costs after shipping demand fell from its pandemic-fueled peak, with UPS also reporting revenue declines amid lower volumes. Last quarter, FedEx said it expected to cut about $2.2 billion in costs over fiscal 2025, up from $1.8 billion in fiscal 2024.

FedEx Chief Customer Officer Brie Carere said in its June earnings call that the company expects "the demand environment to moderately improve as we move through the year."

FedEx stock closed Friday at $286.38, up 13%% on the year.

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Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has called on Nigerians to reaffirm their confidence in President Bola Tinubu as his administration advances broad reforms to rejuvenate the economy.

This was disclosed in a statement he released in Abuja to celebrate Muslims on the occasion of this year’s Maulud.

“In the spirit of this season, I urge all Nigerians to reaffirm their trust and backing for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as he spearheads a comprehensive economic revitalization agenda, underpinned by an unyielding passion for transformative change, aimed at elevating the standard of living for all Nigerians.

All party members should use this occasion to reflect on their faith and renew their commitment to the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Let us work together to build a society that is just, equitable, and peaceful.

This auspicious occasion is a significant milestone in the Islamic calendar, and it serves as a reminder of the Prophet’s teachings of peace, love, and compassion. As we celebrate his birthday, we must reflect on his exemplary life and strive to emulate his noble qualities.

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was a shining example of leadership, wisdom, and kindness. His message of Islam is a beacon of hope and guidance for humanity. As we commemorate his birthday, we must recommit ourselves to the principles of justice, equality, and fairness that he espoused,” the statement reads.

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A bond-market indicator is sending signals investors should pay close attention to, financial advisors say. 

The indicator is the yield curve, which tracks the relationship between shorter- and longer-term Treasury yields. The latter are typically higher, but until recently the curve was inverted, with higher yields on shorter-term Treasurys—generally an indication that investors expect rates to fall or the economy to weaken. 

The 10-year yield finished Friday at 3.657%, while the two-year was at 3.587%.

Now, with the Federal Reserve widely expected to begin a rate-cut cycle next week, things may be returning to normal. That, according to experts, could mean it’s time for investors to rethink their fixed-income portfolios. Here are some of their suggestions. 

After a two-year campaign of interest rate hikes aimed at fighting inflation, the Federal Reserve is poised to cut its federal funds rate—which influences everything from interest rates to bond yields—at its meeting next week.

Although yields on bonds are likely to come down as a result, there are still opportunities to incorporate fixed-income investments into portfolios, according to Kathy Jones, Chief Fixed Income Strategist at Charles Schwab.

Yields move inversely to bond prices, so when yields fall, bond prices rise. That means investors can benefit from price appreciation if they invest in bonds before yields decline further.

“For the retail client, a lot of times, they've been sitting in cash waiting for the Fed to make a move, so they've already missed the peak of rates,” Jones said. “The direction of travel is lower…That means there’s room for further price appreciation as the Fed cuts.”

The yield curve is returning to normal because of signs that inflation and the economy are cooling, says Jeff Johnson, head of U.S. fixed income products at Vanguard.

“If we're talking about rates falling because the economy is cooling, that does represent what could potentially be a more challenging and volatile period for equity,” Johnson said. “That's another reason why you want to add fixed income to the portfolio—to provide balance and diversification against riskier parts of the portfolio.”

Since bonds with shorter maturities tend to more closely follow changes in the Fed’s benchmark rate, Jones thinks it’s a good time to invest in bonds with maturities between three months and five years. 

“If you're tactical and looking at what’s going to do well during this rate cutting cycle in the first six to 12 months, it's probably under five years just because that has the most room to decline,” Jones said. 

Some experts, however, urge caution when investing in shorter-maturity bonds.

“Investors need to be aware of reinvestment risk. This means that when their current bonds mature, they might have to buy new bonds that pay lower interest rates,” Greg Onken, Wealth Partner at J.P. Morgan Wealth Management, said via email. “Longer-term fixed-income opportunities can also help investors lock in current rates.”

When it comes to figuring out which fixed-income investments are best, experts offer varying recommendations—some prefer bond exchange-traded funds while others suggest bond ladders, a strategy of investing in bonds of varying maturities to spread out interest risk.

Johnson recommends broadly diversified bond ETFs that invest in a wide range of fixed-income investments like Treasurys and corporate debt across the maturity spectrum. He prefers ETFs with intermediate maturities.

Jones thinks bond ladders are a good option because they let retail investors avoid trying to time the Fed’s moves.

And investors don’t need to limit themselves to Treasury bonds. Jones notes that corporate bonds can offer higher yields—though investors need to be mindful of their credit quality, since they are riskier than Treasurys.

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