Another mega-cap stock split

Good morning, Insiders.?Tesla's latest stock move puts it in a powerful group of big players that have made a similar decision this year. Today we're breaking it down, plus going over expert stock picks for an uncertain landscape.?

Let's dive in.

Sign up here to receive Insider’s full 10 Things Before the Opening Bell newsletter — directly in your inbox.

1. Tesla becomes the latest mega-cap company to split its stock.?A Monday filing with the SEC revealed that?Tesla plans to ask shareholders for approval?to increase the number of its authorized shares.?

The company, which has a?market cap?of more than $1 trillion, said it wants to issue additional shares so that it can pay a dividend using stock. It marks the second?stock split?for the EV maker in two years.?

So far, investors seemed impressed?—?shares jumped to their highest price in more than two months?following the announcement.?

"We view Tesla's move following the likes of?Amazon,?Google, Apple and initiating its second stock split in two years as a smart strategic move that will be a positive catalyst for shares going forward," Wedbush said in a note Monday referencing CEO Elon Musk.??

In August 2020, when shares traded around $2,213, Tesla enacted a?5-to-1 stock split?to pay holders a dividend using shares instead of cash.?

And a final element to Tesla's big day — Elon Musk tweeted that he?appears to have caught COVID-19 "again."

2. Global shares are in the green so far.?Russia/Ukraine talks and a bounce in the oil price are pushing up equities.?Here's what's happening on the markets.

3. Bank of America shared 9 commodity-linked stocks set to get a boost from soaring global prices.?As the Russia-Ukraine crisis unlocks opportunities in other commodity-rich markets like Latin America, certain companies could be poised for gains.?See the list here.

4. Investors can profit by buying into these stocks that live in the sweet spot between growth and safe prices.?That's according to Julian Emanuel of Evercore ISI, who is eyeing a batch of stocks that can beat the current market.?Here's his list of 26 stock picks.

5. The average tax rate on America's 400 wealthiest households is less than the average for all Americans.?In 2018, the top earners paid an average of 23% in taxes, compared to 28% for all other Americans.?Dig into the data here.

This is a condensed version of Insider’s 10 Things Before the Opening Bell newsletter. To see items 6-10, sign up here to receive the full newsletter in your inbox.

Plus, Insider has a wide array of industry-specific newsletters — see them all here.

This newsletter was curated by Phil Rosen.

Thoughts or questions? Sound off in the comments section below.