10 things you need to know before the opening bell

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10 Things Before the Opening Bell

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

1. Stocks rally as traders shrug off the spread of a deadly virus from China to the US. "We would argue the risk of an economy-crippling pandemic is a good enough reason to sell out," one analyst said.

2. 'Big mistake' — Trump blasts Fed for curbing growth and shackling stocks by hiking interest rates. The president said the US economy would be growing close to 4% and the Dow Jones index could be more than a third higher if the central bank hadn't raised rates.

3. Ray Dalio warns 'cash is trash' as Warren Buffett sits on $128 billion. The hedge-fund billionaire warned the value of hard currency would be eroded by a weaker dollar and growing money supply, but Berkshire Hathaway's boss has balked at sky-high stock prices.

4. Jeff Bezos' phone was reportedly hacked by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, in a new twist to the saga of his dramatic divorce — here's everything we know so far. The Guardian reported on Tuesday that the Amazon CEO's phone was hacked by Mohammed bin Salman in May 2018 via a link in a WhatsApp message.

5. 'He does good at rockets' — Trump showers Tesla CEO Elon Musk with strange praise at Davos. "I was worried about him, because he's one of our great geniuses, and we have to protect our genius," Trump said.

6. Here's why China won't overtake the US as the largest economy anytime soon. Capital Economics argued that productivity growth in China would be held back by structural problems.

7. Trump made some eyebrow-raising statements about the US economy in his big speech at Davos — here are the facts behind five bold claims. The president commented on topics including the economy, wealth inequality, historical black colleges, and his recent trade deals.

8. Stocks are rallying. Asian markets recovered with Hong Kong's Hang Seng up 1.3%, while European equities were mixed with Germany's DAX up 0.2% and Britain's FTSE 100 down 0.2%. US stocks are set to open higher with Nasdaq futures up 0.7%.

9. Key figures are coming out. Look out for retail, crude oil, and economic activity data.

10. It's a big day for earnings. Johnson & Johnson and Texas Instruments are among the companies reporting full-year results.