Economic growth slows in China

• China 's economy expanded in the first three months of this year at its slowest pace since 2009, prompting the government to say in a statement it will maintain an appropriate level of investment as growth faces "downward pressures". Growing at an 8.1-percent clip is nothing to sneeze at…or is it, if you're Beijing? We need to look at what levers are available for China's policymakers, whether growth could pop higher in coming quarters (let's not neglect recent loan growth data or today's retail sales and industrial production), and what it means for the rest of the world.

• JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo will set the bar for the big U.S. banks when they report earnings this morning. Watch their commentary about credit quality and loan growth. And get set for Jamie Dimon to share his views on banking regulation during JPM's conference call.

• As the world turns in Europe, we've got Spanish bank borrowings from the ECB hitting unprecedented levels, while yields continue to climb in both Spain and Italy. The contagion conversation remains a priority.

• After the busiest week of Fedspeak in recent memory, today we get the definitive word when Chairman Ben Bernanke has his say at 1 p.m. ET. His speech is titled "Reflections on the Crisis and the Policy Response". He already dodged one opportunity to comment on monetary policy this week. Will he side-step the elephant in the room again?

• North Korea 's long-range rocket launch can fairly be called a failure after it disintegrated minutes after lift-off. Save the jokes because just about all commentary suggests the embarrassment could prompt Kim Jong Un to assert his country's prowess -- possibly with an underground nuclear test. Combined with Iran's nuclear talks with top world powers, we've got more than enough fodder to talk geopolitical risk.

• Even though it's getting less money from advertisers for our clicks, Google managed to top profit estimates in the first quarter. And the company is creating a new class of non-voting shares that effectively acts as a 2:1 stock split. Co-Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin say the move allows them to stay focused on long-term ambitions, without having to worry about outsiders "unduly influencing our management decision." For anyone wondering if this is a precursor to a big bite, the co-founders say they don't have an unusually big acquisition planned. So we're left with some questions about governance, share structures and why this matters for investors.

• We'll also see earnings from Shaw Communications and economic data in the U.S., including CPI and consumer sentiment.

• And it looks like Air Canada could be facing more labour disruption, with pilots talking about organized sick calls. Your move, Lisa Raitt.

Every morning Managing Editor Marty Cej writes a "chase note" to BNN's editorial staff listing the stories and events that will be in the spotlight that day. In Marty's absence today's note was written by BNN's assignment editor Noah Zivitz.