Grocery sales, United earnings, Anthropic's IPO prep and more in Morning Squawk
Here are five key things investors need to know to start the trading day.
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Happy Thursday. Planning a road trip this summer? If Kalshi traders are right, you could once again be shelling out $4 a gallon for gas.
Stock futures are mixed this morning as semiconductor stocks weigh on the market. All three major averages closed higher yesterday.
Here are five key things investors need to know to start the trading day:
1. Aisle clean-up
People shop for groceries at a store in Arlington, Virginia, the United States, on June 10, 2026.
Li Rui | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images
Wholesale prices unexpectedly decreased last month, offering another encouraging sign that inflation could be getting back in bounds. Yesterday's report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics also gave investors hope that the Federal Reserve could hold off on raising interest rates.
Here's what else to know:
In a Senate hearing Wednesday morning, Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh said "any central bank would be happy to have the data going in the right direction," but added that "these are all imperfect measures of the state of underlying inflation."Warsh also told the Senate banking committee that he meets regularly with the Trump administration, though he defended the central bank's political independence.Meanwhile, New York Fed President John Williams said in a speech that inflation has hit a peak and that interest rates are in a good spot.A decline in grocery sales is outweighing food inflation, according to exclusive data shared with CNBC, raising alarm for food producers,On a positive note: The Fed said in a report published yesterday that the World Cup gave some bars and restaurants a lift.Follow live market updates here.2. United we fall
A United Airlines plane taxis at Los Angeles International Airport on April 21, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
United Airlines beat Wall Street's second-quarter expectations on both lines. But as CNBC's Leslie Josephs reports, the air carrier's adjusted earnings forecast for the current period came in below analyst estimates as it warned it could see nearly $6 billion in additional fuel costs this year.
The Chicago-based airline said its fuel costs in the second quarter were 84% higher than a year ago. United said it would cover as much as 90% of the elevated costs in the current quarter and all of it in the final three months of the year.
Shares of the airline are more than 3% lower before the bell.
3. Time for a checkup
UnitedHealth Group Inc. signage on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025.
Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Shares of UnitedHealth are nearly 6% higher in premarket trading after the insurer blew past Wall Street's expectations for the second quarter and raised its profit outlook for the full year.
As Annika Kim Constantino reports, the healthcare giant said its turnaround is gaining momentum as it exits unprofitable contracts, reduces membership and reins in medical costs. It is also investing $1.5 billion into artificial intelligence to boost efficiency.
Still, CFO Wayne DeVeydt said medical costs remained elevated in the quarter, and the company warned that rising premiums are pushing more customers out of its plans.
4. D.C. dispatch
Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on his nomination to be Attorney General, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on July 15, 2026.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images
Warsh wasn't the only one testifying on Capitol Hill yesterday. Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, faced questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee about the Epstein files, the Justice Department's now-canceled "anti-weaponization" fund and FBI Director Kash Patel.
Meanwhile, Jim Clayton refused to acknowledge Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election during his confirmation hearing to become director of national intelligence. Clayton also defended his decision to subpoena New York Times journalists and told senators that he didn't know his predecessor was involved in the raid of a Georgia election office.
In a voluntary interview with the House Oversight Committee, Goldman Sachs' former top lawyer Kathryn Ruemmler said that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein lied to her about his actions. Ruemmler said that if she had seen signs of Epstein abusing women or girls, she would have reported him to law enforcement.
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5. Magnum opus
Anthropic is scheduling meetings with investors ahead of its potential IPO this year, CNBC has learned. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase all are involved in planning for the offering.
As CNBC's Ashley Capoot and Hugh Son report, bankers will gauge investor demand before a roadshow and share sale take place. The artificial intelligence startup confidentially filed its IPO prospectus with regulators last month, but the Claude maker hasn't said when it expects to debut.
Notably, Anthropic looks set to beat its rival OpenAI to the public markets. Anthropic was last valued at $965 billion, above OpenAI's $852 billion valuation.
The Daily Dividend
— CNBC's Jeff Cox, Matt Peterson, Brandon Gomez, Sean Conlon, Leslie Josephs, Annika Kim Constantino, Dan Mangan, Justin Papp, Luke Fountain, Emily Wilkins, Ashley Capoot, Hugh Son, Samantha Subin and Gabriel Cortes contributed to this report.
Luke Fountain assisted in the production of this newsletter. Josephine Rozzelle edited this edition.
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