CNBC Daily Open: U.S. consumers upbeat on the economy
People cross the street outside the Macy's Herald Square store in New York City on Dec. 17, 2023.

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Like what you see? You can subscribe here .

Futures flat

Futures for S&P 500 , Nasdaq 100 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were all down about 0.1% as the U.S. markets return to trade after a holiday. Wall Street is coming off its first losing week in more than a month. On the corporate earnings front, results from Home Depot and Walmart are due before the bell.

Capital One merger

Capital One Financial will acquire Discover Financial Services in a $35.3 billion all-stock deal. The merger among two of the largest credit card issuers in the U.S, expands Capital One's credit card offerings and its deposit base.

Alibaba's overseas bet

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group is placing its bets on overseas businesses as domestic growth remains weak. The company's latest earnings showed its international e-commerce business unit was a bright spot, with revenue up 44% from a year ago.

Magnificent worries

Deutsche Bank analysts underlined that the Magnificent 7's total market cap alone would make it the second-largest country stock exchange in the world. But this has also raised concerns on related risks in the U.S. and global stock market.

[PRO] Only two ETFs shine

There were only two exchange-traded funds in the world that made money every year for the past decade. Both invested in defensive stocks and stood out among 8,300 equity ETFs worldwide, screened by CNBC Pro using FactSet data.