10 things you need to know before the opening bell

Here is what you need to know.

1. US stocks are on track for a flat open. Stocks were set to open little changed Wednesday after suffering their worst Christmas Eve on record.
2. The Nikkei rebounds after plunging on Christmas Day. The Nikkei 225, Japan's major average, gained 0.89% Wednesday after plunging more than 5% on Christmas Day to its worst close since April 2017.
3. Trump reportedly says it's a 'tremendous opportunity to buy.' "I have great confidence in our companies," he told reporters, according to Reuters. "We have companies, the greatest in the world, and they're doing really well. They have record kinds of numbers. So I think it's a tremendous opportunity to buy."
4. Trump backs Mnuchin. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he still has confidence in Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin despite his peculiar call with bank CEOs on Sunday evening, CNN reports.
5. Brent crude oil dips below $50. The international benchmark touched a low of $49.93 a barrel early Wednesday, its weakest since July 2017. It's currently up 1.27% at $51.11.
6. A longtime tech investor shares his 3 picks. Dan Morgan, a portfolio manager at Synovus Trust, says to bet on the cloud as the economy starts to slow.
7. Now is the time to look for 'babies that get tossed out with the bathwater.' Every S&P 500 sector, except for utilities, has seen its forward price-to-earnings ratio fall below its five-year average, making for the opportunity to buy them at "attractive valuations," according to John Stoltzfus, Oppenheimer's chief investment strategist.
8. Here are 10 outrageous predictions for 2019. The Danish firm Saxo Bank has released its list of 10 events with a low chance of happening, but challenge investors think outside the box.
9. Here are the 13 biggest car stories of 2018. Tesla and Elon Musk dominated the headlines, but a lot of other things happened too.
10. US economic data is light. Case-Shiller home prices will cross the wires at 9 a.m. ET.

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