Today's 5 Top Stories

Here at the Fool, we've searched high and low across the Web to find the stories that will matter the most to you today. We hope you find this Monday edition informative.

1. Stocks look to rise
After four consecutive days of declines, stocks appear poised for a positive opening; S&P futures are up slightly. The big news release of the day is the Institute for Supply Management's service index, which is expected to hit its highest level of the year. (Read more at Yahoo! Finance).

2. More CIT (NYSE: CIT  ) bankruptcy news
Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS  ) has a knack for staying on the front page. There are reports that in the event of a CIT bankruptcy, CIT would owe $1 billion to Goldman, which would further collect on credit insurance it holds on the event. For its part, Goldman says the sum is "not a windfall payment." (Read more at Reuters.)

3. China builds a media empire
China's state council released an ambitious plan last week that aims to create a more loosely controlled group of media and entertainment companies. However, Time Warner (NYSE: TWX  ) investors shouldn't get too excited. The plan still calls for foreign-media investment to come largely through state-controlled enterprises. (Read more at The New York Times.)

4. Should you be watching earnings?
The New York Times makes a case that investors looking for signs of economic health should focus less on earnings and more on the top line.

5. The takeover boom continues
The Wall Street Journal reports that storage-equipment maker Brocade (Nasdaq: BRCD  ) is putting itself up for sale. The paper listed Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ  ) and Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL  ) as potential bidders.

And that's your Monday morning recap. Check Fool.com throughout the day for commentary and analysis on these and other stories. Or you can follow us on Twitter, on Facebook, or through our email digests.