10 things you need to know before the opening bell

Here's what you need to know before the markets open.

1. Warren Buffett will 'let everybody know' once he invests the bulk of Berkshire Hathaway's $128 billion cash pile, Bill Ackman says. The famed investor may be keeping a low profile to avoid spiking prices while he's buying stocks during the coronavirus-driven market meltdown.

2. Asian economies will see their growth come to a halt this year amid the coronavirus pandemic, IMF warns. China is the only country expected to grow, with GDP set to expand 1.2% in 2020.

3. Billionaire bond king Jeff Gundlach sent a bizarre tweet predicting the end of the 'You blow dry my hair and I'll blow dry your hair' economy. Gundlach didn't elaborate on what he meant by the comment, but it appears that he was referencing a likely end to wasteful expenditures by consumers, and a return to saving.

4. Amazon shut all its warehouses in France because a court ordered it to reassess worker safety. The ruling stipulated that Amazon could only ship essential goods.

5. Ford's first-quarter China vehicle sales were down 35% year-on-year to 88,770 units. All of the automaker's dealers in China have resumed work and its sales in March have returned to 75% of the same period last year.

6. Etihad says it has full support from the state owner, to resume flights in May. The Abu Dhabi-based airline announced a partial resumption of passenger flights from May 1.

7. Apple's new budget iPhone is unlikely to make a splash in China where 5G is now commonplace. In a poll conducted on social media site Weibo, 60% of roughly 350,000 respondents said they would not buy the $399 model, the cheapest iPhone available. The new iPhone does not have 5G capability.

8. Stocks are mostly up. In Europe, Germany's DAX rose 1%, Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.4%, and the Euro Stoxx 50 rose 1%. In Asia, China's Shanghai Composite rose 0.3%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.6%, and Japan's Nikkei fell 1.3%. In the US, futures underlying the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq rose between 0.4% and 0.9%.

9. First quarter earnings expected. BlackRock, Morgan Stanley and Bank of New York Mellon are highlights.

10. Economic data releases. Fed Reserve John William's speech, continuing jobless claims and data on housing starts change are due.

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