Hi, I'm Becky Quick, co-host of Squawk Box, and this is five things you need to know before today's opening bell.

Reports say Devin Energy and Cotera Energy are considering a merger that could create one of the biggest

independent shale producers in the United States. Cotera shares were up as much as 12% yesterday.

They ended up about 1.5% higher while Devin fell by about 4%.

In the meantime, Japan's Mitsubishi says that it will acquire shale gas assets in Texas and Louisiana in a deal that includes $5.2 billion in equity purchases.

J.B. Hunt's fourth quarter profit beating forecast,

but revenue falling just short of estimates

on lower truckload and intermodal sales.

A source tells CNBC that AI coding started, RepLid,

is nearing a new round of funding

that would value that company at about $9 billion. RepLid is a leader in so-called

vibe coding, which both professionals and amateurs can use to create software. And Disney announcing

Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down as president of Lucasfilm after more than a decade running

the Star Wars universe. She's overseen a lucrative period for the sci-fi franchise,

including a blockbuster trilogy of films and streaming spin-offs. We'll be back later today with

Squawk Pod, our daily podcast featuring The Best of Squawk Box. Stay tuned to your feed, wherever

you get your podcast podcasts and listen anytime.