Wall Street eyes Fed hints; Monsanto controversy; Starbucks' reversal

Wall Street is starting the new week in a bit of a cautious mode following last week's big stock market gains (^GSPC).

Investors are focusing on a series of speeches by Federal Reserve officials, looking for more clarity on when Janet Yellen and company will pull the trigger and raise interest rates.  Already, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard is telling CNBC the financial markets could react negatively to any interest rate increase in the same way they had a "taper tantrum" when the central bank began ending its bond-buying program last year.

Yahoo Finance's Aaron Task notes that stocks took off with the Fed announcement last Wednesday that it was in no hurry to begin "lift off."

"I think we saw last week what the Fed says and what it hints at are huge drivers of where the financial markets are going to go, at least in the near-term," he says.  "Bullard's comments and any other Fed official who speaks, the markets are definitely going to be paying attention."

Also on Wall Street's radar, talks today between Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Greece's bailout.

Monsanto in battle over Roundup

Here’s a look at some of the stocks the Yahoo Finance team will be tracking for you today.

Monsanto (MON) shares are lower ahead of the open. A new report by the World Health Organization says the company's weed-killer Roundup probably causes cancer. Monsanto strongly disagreed with the findings, saying its products are safe and meet regulatory standards.

Related: Monsanto weed-killer cancer risk; Gilead's drug warning; Tenet jumps on deals

Gilead Sciences (GILD) shares falling. The company sent warnings to health providers after patients taking its hepatitis C medications developed problems when taking the drugs in combination with another type of heart treatment, according to Bloomberg.

Tenet Healthcare (THC) shares are higher in early trading. The hospital operator is forming a joint venture with privately held United Surgical. The two companies are combining their imaging and outpatient surgery centers in a deal valued at more than $2 billion.  Separately in a much smaller deal, Tenet is buying UK based Aspen Healthcare for $215 million in cash.

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Biogen (BIIB) shares are lower in early trading after jumping nearly 10% on Friday on news its experimental Alzheimer's drug showed promising results in clinical trials. The biotech firm announcing today it is dropping Idec from its name and will be simply known as Biogen. The company merged with Idec in 2003. Biogen will continue to trade on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "BIIB."

Starbucks backs off "Race Together"

A key part of Starbuck's (SBUX) race relations campaign is coming to an end.  As of Sunday, baristas will no longer writing the words "Race Together" on customer's cups. According to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, this move was part of the original plan, and other aspects of the campaign will continue.

In another shift in policy, both the Obama administration and the IMF are now seeking cooperation with China's Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. This comes after several European countries signed on to the China-led development bank, despite U-S pressure not to join. The Obama administration is proposing the bank work in partnership with institutions such as the World Bank.

And prices of cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate have fallen by more than 7% this month. According to the International Cocoa Organization, the price drop comes as consumers are eating less chocolate.