10 things you need to know before the opening bell
Here's what you need to know before the markets open:
1. Goldman Sachs warns Wuhan coronavirus will hit US economic growth this quarter. The bank's economists cautioned that fewer Chinese tourists and a drop in American exports to China could slow growth.
2. Warren Buffett's $4.6 million crypto lunch was eBay's priciest purchase in 2019. It still hasn't happened. The winning bidder, cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun, bailed at the last minute and hasn't rescheduled.
3. The UK has confirmed its first 2 cases of Wuhan coronavirus. Two members of the same family were infected with the flu-like illness.
4. Oil jumps as WHO declares emergency but recommends no travel, trade restrictions. Prices had fallen nearly 4% this week but rebounded on Friday.
5. EU regulators are set to investigate EssilorLuxottica's €7.2 billion Dutch deal. Antitrust officials plan to probe the eyewear titan's bid for Dutch opticians group GrandVision, Reuters reported.
6. Billionaire Lawrence Stroll takes stake in ailing carmaker Aston Martin. The Canadian tycoon is shelling out more than $200 million for a piece of the luxury automaker.
7. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos added $13.5 billion to his fortune in 15 minutes. Bezos' windfall came after Amazon's stock price increased by 12% to $12,000 on the e-commerce titan's strong earnings.
8. Stocks are mixed. European equities dropped with Germany's DAX down 0.4% and Britain's FTSE 100 down 0.8%. US stocks are set to open lower with Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq futures down about 0.4%. In Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng slid 0.5%, Japan's Nikkei rallied 1%, and Chinese markets were closed for the Lunar New Year holiday.
9. There's a bunch of data slated for release. Personal spending figures are the highlight.
10. A slew of energy and industrial earnings are coming out. Exxon, Chevron, and Caterpillar are on the list.