10 things you need to know before the opening bell

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10 Things Before the Opening Bell

Here is what you need to know.

1. Chinese officials reportedly cast doubt on any long-term trade deal with Trump — and his impulsive nature is part of the problem. "Chinese officials have warned they won't budge on the thorniest issues," Bloomberg reported. And they're also worried "he may back out" of a deal.

2. Fiat Chrysler will join forces with Peugeot to create the world's 4th largest carmaker. Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot's owner PSA announced on Thursday a 50-50 share swap deal to create the world's fourth-largest automaker.

3. China's factory output slipped to its lowest level in 8 months as Trump's trade-war malaise sets in. New export orders led the fall — a sign that Trump's trade war has further damaged China's export economy.

4. Hong Kong slid into recession for the first time since the global financial crisis in the third quarter, advance estimates showed on Thursday. The economy has been weighed down by increasingly violent anti-government protests and the protracted US-China trade war.

5. Cash-strapped WeWork got an early SoftBank payment of $1.5 billion — and the board now controls Neumann's shares. Adam Neumann is now a "board observer," and Marcelo Claure became executive chairman effective immediately, WeWork said in a statement.

6. Dunkin' Brands reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit on lower costs on Thursday and raised its forecast for 2019, betting on investments to improve delivery and add new menu items to boost growth. The company has been pushing into premium coffees that are sold at affordable prices compared with Starbucks Corp as it steps up to gain market share in an extremely competitive breakfast segment.

7. Donald Trump Jr, executive vice president of the Trump Organization, said he wishes he were Hunter Biden so he could get rich off his dad. Trump, whose job is overseeing his father's business empire while he is president, made the comment on Sean Hannity's Fox News show Wednesday.

8. Stocks are down on trade-war news. US futures underlying the S&P 500 (-0.3%) and the Nasdaq (-0.2%) are falling. In Europe, stocks are sliding with the DAX (-0.3%) and the Euro Stoxx 50 (-0.3%) down. Asia mixed, with the Nikkei (+0.4%) rising as did the Hang Seng (+0.9%) but the Shanghai Composite (-0.4%) fell.

9. Earnings season continues today. Shell and Thompson Reuters report through the day.

10. There is a stack of earnings on the docket. Jobless claims and personal consumption are the highlights.