Stocks higher, Tesla surges, Alibaba, UAW strike, $5 billion Twinkies

^{Five things you need to know before the market opens on Monday September 11:}

1. -- Stocks higher with inflation in focus as markets regroup from rate concerns

Wall Street faces a crucial five-day stretch ahead of next week's Fed rate decision, with inflation data, retail sales and a 10-year bond auction looming large on the calendar.

2. --  Tesla surges on Morgan Stanley upgrade that sees $600 billion 'Dojo' AI boost

Tesla's new DoJo supercomputer could added $600 billion to the carmaker's market value, according to a top Wall Street analyst.

3. -- Alibaba shares lower as CEO Daniel Zhang opts to leave China tech giant

Daniel Zhang, tabbed to run Alibaba's lucrative cloud division, has abruptly decided to step away from the China-based tech giant.

4. -- Ford, General Motors face strike risk as UAW rejects Big 3 pay offers

The United Autoworkers Union has rejected the best of three pay offers from the so-called Big 3 automakers, increasing the risk of strike action when their contract expires next week.

5. -- Hostess Brands surges on report of $5 billion takeover for Twinkie Maker

Hostess, which returned to the public markets in 2016 following a pair of Chapter 11 bankruptcies, could be bought by Jif peanut butter market JM Smucker for around $5 billion.