Good morning, friends and Fortune readers.
Stocks look set to slide Monday, taking a pause after a record day on Friday for the Dow. There’s a climate change protest coming to Wall Street, and we’ll be finding out just how many new iPhones Apple sold in the gadget’s first weekend on sale. If the number of people lined up out side the Apple Store in New York is any indication, it will be a lot. Here’s what else you need to know today.
1. Merck seals a $17 billion deal
The German pharmaceuticals firm Merck announced plans to buy life sciences company Sigma-Aldrich for $17 billion, allowing Merck to expand its North American presence. According to the New York Times, Sigma-Aldrich makes more than 230,000 chemicals used in a variety of industries.
2. Climate change protestors are coming to Wall Street
On Sunday more than 300,000 people marched in support of solving climate change in New York City. Today, some of them are heading to Wall Street where they’ll have a sit-in until they are removed by police.
3. How many iPhones did Apple sell this weekend?
The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus went on sale last Friday. Just how many of the new smartphones did Apple manage to move this weekend? Probably a record number, according to analysts. The sales data will be released this morning. They’re expected to be close to 10 million, the biggest opening weekend ever for an Apple phone. The tech giant said it received more than 4 million pre-orders for the devices.
4. Gauge of the housing sector
When we see how many existing homes were sold last month, we’ll see if American consumers are making the moves they weren’t making just a year or so ago. A good number could be a great sign for the economy, while a bad number would mean people still aren’t comfortable getting a mortgage and making a move. Economists expect to see a 1 percent rise in August.
5. The Rockefellers are divesting from oil
Standard Oil? Not anymore. The heirs of John D. Rockefeller are joining the oil divestment movement, according to a New York Times report. The $860 Rockefeller Brother Fund, a philanthropic organization, will no longer invest in fossil fuels. This is a major coup for the environmental movement.
