Hello friends and Fortune readers.
Wall Street stock futures are mixed to higher this morning, as investors digest the latest monthly employment report, which showed job growth rebounded in April.
In other news, southern fast-food chain Bojangles looks to become the latest popular restaurant IPO, following in the footsteps of burger chain Shake Shack (SHAK), sandwich shop Potbelly (PBPB) and others.
Today’s must read story is by Fortune‘s Chris Matthews and it looks at how a strong monthly employment report could actually weigh down the stock market.
Here’s what else you need to know about:
1. Britain’s Conservatives have won a surprisingly clear victory.
The pro-business but anti-E.U. Conservatives have secured a slim majority in parliament after a last-minute surge that even Nate Silver failed to see coming. U.K. financial markets have reacted enthusiastically, but the prospect of a referendum on E.U. membership within 18 months (as promised by PM David Cameron) may dampen that euphoria.
2. April’s employment numbers.
The April employment report, released Friday morning, shows job growth rebounded last month. The U.S. unemployment rate was at a near seven-year low of 5.4% in April, indicating a pickup in economic momentum that could keep the Federal Reserve on track to hike interest rates this year. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 223,000, just below the 224,000 that economists polled by Reuters had expected. Revisions showed the U.S. added just 85,000 jobs in March, down from a previously reported 126,000, and added 266,000 in February, up form the 264,000 previously reported.
3. Bojangles IPO.
The southern chicken-and-biscuits fast-food chain launches its IPO today and it will try to become the latest fast-food chain to make investors salivate with a public offering. Trading under the symbol “BOJA”, the company is expected to raise $106 million at a valuation of more than $600 million.
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4. Tempur Sealy beds down for a proxy fight.
The world’s largest bedding provider hosts its annual shareholder meeting today. Tempur Sealy International (TPX) has been squared off in a proxy battle with investor H Partners, which is hoping to remove three members from the mattress-maker’s board of directors at today’s meeting. H Partners will try to convince the company’s other shareholders to vote against the three board members, who include CEO Mark Sarvary, who disgruntled investors have accused of mismanagement.
5. Monsanto’s $45 billion bid for Syngenta rejected.
It would be the biggest merger deal so far this year, creating a global agribusiness giant with annual sales of over $31 billion. But the Swiss-based company has rejected an unsolicited offer as inadequate. The shares leapt on the initial news and have kept their gains since.
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