Wall Street expected to open higher as investors await Fed decision

BY THE NUMBERS

Futures were higher this morning, but how the day ends will likely depend on what Fed policymakers have to say when their meeting concludes later. The S&P 500 is down for three straight days, while the Dow is down for two. (CNBC)

The U.S. central bank is widely expected to raise benchmark interest rates by a quarter-point, and investors will be focused on the policy statement as well as Fed Chairman Jerome Powell's post-meeting news conference. (CNBC)

In addition to the Fed decision at 2 p.m. ET and the Powell news conference, investors will have two economic reports to consider, both from the housing sector — weekly mortgage applications and new home sales at 10 a.m. (CNBC)

* Mortgage apps rise 2.9% as interest rates move even higher (CNBC)

Nike (NKE) was 3 percent lower in premarket trade despite beating on the top and bottom line. Nike benefited from strong consumer spending in the U.S. market, but some analysts are concerned about what they consider weaker-than-expected profit margins. (CNBC)

* Nike CEO says he's 'very proud' of the Kaepernick ad campaign (CNBC)

SurveyMonkey-parent SVMK (SVMK) last night priced its initial public offering at $12 per share, above the expected range . The company also increased its offering to 15 million shares. SVMK is set to start trading today on the Nasdaq. (CNBC)

* JP Morgan is reportedly in talks to lead Lyft's IPO (Reuters)
* Chinese scooter start-up Niu is now filing for a US IPO (CNBC)

IN THE NEWS TODAY

The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a vote on the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh for Friday, according to a notice from Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa. That's a day after the hearing on sexual assault allegations. (CNBC)

* Kavanaugh accuser has 4 people to corroborate claims (USA Today)
* Arizona sex crimes prosecutor Rachel Mitchell to question Kavanaugh and Ford (Axios)

President Donald Trump will hold a news conference this evening following his meetings at the United Nations in New York. The president is expected to also talk with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UK Prime Minister Theresa May. (Reuters)

Trump defended his administration's trade clashes yesterday to the UN General Assembly, telling world leaders the United States will act in its "national interest" when it feels cheated. The president took his most specific jabs at Beijing. (CNBC)

* Trump boast draws laughter during his General Assembly speech (CNBC)

Trump told advisors he's open to keeping Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on the job, the Wall Street Journal reported. And allies of the No. 2 Justice Department official reportedly said he's given the impression he doesn't plan to quit.

The U.S. is ready to move ahead with Mexico alone on a new deal that will replace NAFTA, Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said. Trump wants a deal signed by Sept. 30, before Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto leaves office. (CNBC)

Brock Long, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, cost the government $151,000 through the unauthorized use of government vehicles that included travel to his home in North Carolina, according to an internal investigation. (WSJ)

Uber executive Cameron Poetzscher, who played a key role in negotiating SoftBank's investment in the ride-hailing firm, was disciplined after a probe found he had a pattern of making sexually suggestive comments about other co-workers. (WSJ)

Delta Air Lines (DAL) briefly halted domestic departures yesterday because of an issue with its computer network. The airline said systems have been restored, and reported no diversions or cancelations as a result of the issue. (CNBC)

A Community Health Systems (CYH) subsidiary agreed to pay more than $260 million and entered a deferred prosecution agreement to settle criminal charges for allegedly paying physicians kickbacks and defrauding Medicare, Medicaid and other federal programs. (CNBC)

CBS (CBS) named former Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons as interim chairman of its board of directors , following the resignation of former CBS Chairman and Chief Executive Leslie Moonves earlier this month amid sexual assault allegations. (Reuters)

Amazon (AMZN) has expanded its grocery delivery service from its Whole Foods stores to more cities across the U.S. The service is available in Milwaukee, Omaha, Detroit, Jacksonville, Madison, Orlando, St. Louis, Ann Arbor, Tampa and Tulsa. (CNBC)

Leading internet search engine Google will acknowledge that it has made "mistakes" on privacy issues in testimony an executive of the Alphabet (GOOGL) unit will deliver to a U.S. Senate committee today, according to a document reviewed by Reuters.

* Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff to tech industry: 'Your employees and executives are going to walk out' if they don't trust you (CNBC)
* Benioff on Apple partnership: 'I have Apple in my veins' (CNBC)
* Benioff: We bought Time Magazine because 'business is the greatest platform for change' (CNBC)
* Benioff: The economy is 'ripping' (CNBC)

STOCKS TO WATCH

KB Home (KBH) beat estimates by 10 cents with quarterly earnings of 87 cents per share, although the home-builder's revenue came in slightly below consensus. Home deliveries were up by 8 percent during the quarter compared to a year earlier, and KB Home also reported improved operating margins.

Deutsche Bank (DB) has examined the possibility of a merger with UBS (UBS), according to German business daily Handelsblatt. The paper said the German bank has also examined the idea of a potential merger with Commerzbank.

Comcast (CMCSA) said it has purchased an additional 135.9 million shares of Britain's Sky in the open market, bringing the NBCUniversal parent's stake in Sky to 36.95 percent. Comcast won a bidding contest with Twenty-First Century Fox over the weekend for Sky, although Fox still holds a 39 percent stake and continues to consider its options for that stake.

Cintas (CTAS) reported adjusted quarterly earnings of $1.93 per share, beating forecasts by 12 cents, with revenue slightly above forecasts. The uniform supplier also raised its earnings and revenue forecast for the full year.

Nielsen Holdings (NLSN) has drawn takeover interest from Blackstone (BX) and Carlyle Group (CG), according to a Bloomberg report. The private equity firms may put in offers for the provider of TV ratings, but talks are said to be at an early stage and other suitors may enter the bidding as well.

WATERCOOLER

The iconic Wembley Stadium, known as the home of English soccer , could reportedly be sold to U.S. billionaire Shahid Khan for £600 million ($790.4 million) — if the deal gets full support within England's Football Association. (Financial Times)