5 things to know before the stock market opens Monday

Here are the most important news items that investors need to start their trading day:

The three major stock indices are still in positive territory this month despite last week’s choppy results. Stocks closed Friday on a high note, with the Nasdaq pulling out a gain for the week, even as the Dow and S&P 500 slid. Investors will parse through a big slate of earnings this week (more on this below) as they look ahead to next week’s policy-setting Federal Reserve meeting. The consensus points to the Fed raising rates by a quarter of a point, which is lower than recent increases, but markets will be tuned in especially to what Chairman Jerome Powell says about the central bank’s next steps. Read live markets updates here.

Earnings season gains serious momentum this…