BY THE NUMBERS
With the caveat that futures bear little relevance to where market ends the day, they were once again pointing to another opening rally. A similar situation saw the Dow soar as many as 368 points Tuesday, only to see it finish modestly lower. (CNBC)
* Marc Lasry: Market upset will continue with Dems in House (CNBC)
* Cramer: Pick individual stocks with long-term growth stories in this 'treacherous' market (CNBC)
Oil prices climbed this morning. They were lifted by expectations that an OPEC-led supply cut for 2019 would stabilise markets as well as hopes that long-running Sino-American trade tensions could ease. (Reuters)
The Labor Department will be back today with another set of inflation figures, following Tuesday's release of the November Producer Price Index. The Treasury will release the November federal budget statement at 2 p.m. ET. Mortgage applications are out at 7 a.m. ET. (CNBC)
Accessories retailer Vera Bradley (VRA) is one of the few companies releasing earnings this morning, while Men's Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank parent Tailored Brands (TLRD) is out with quarterly numbers after today's closing bell. (CNBC)
IN THE NEWS TODAY
President Donald Trump said it would be a mistake if the Federal Reserve raises interest rates when it meets next week, as it is expected to do. At the same time, the president called Fed Chief Jerome Powell a "good man." (Reuters)
Trump signaled he would take responsibility if the government shuts down next week over a fight for border wall funding. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi were more than happy to agree. (CNBC)
* Publicly, Mike Pence stays quiet for Trump. Privately, he takes on more presidential duties (CNBC)
Michael Cohen, the former longtime personal lawyer and fixer for President Trump, faces sentencing for a slew of crimes this morning, including ones potentially implicating Trump in illegal conduct. (CNBC)
A Vancouver judge set a $7.5 million U.S. bail for Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, capping a week of increasing trade tensions around the dispute between the DOJ and one of China's largest hardware companies. (CNBC)
* Trump says he could intervene in Meng case if it helps US-China deal (Reuters)
A federal judge ordered porn star Stormy Daniels to pay President Trump more than $292,000 in attorneys' fees and another $1,000 in sanctions in connection with her dismissed defamation suit against the president. (CNBC)
British Prime Minister Theresa May will face a vote of no-confidence from members of her own Conservative party today. The backlash against her leadership comes as the prime minister tries to salvage her Brexit deal. (CNBC)
France was on high alert today as hundreds of security forces took part in a manhunt for a gunman. The gunman, thought to be 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt, killed three people and wounded a dozen more at a Christmas market in eastern France. (USA Today)
Amazon (AMZN) is teaming up with Omron Healthcare, which makes blood pressure monitors, as it looks for new ways to bring its voice tech into health care. Omron's blood pressure monitor can now integrate with the Amazon Alexa. (CNBC)
Investors were right to be skeptical of Verizon's (VZ) acquisitions of AOL and Yahoo. The company wrote off $4.6 billion from its two acquisitions, an admission that Oath hasn't succeeded within the broader company. (CNBC)
Tesla (TSLA) is seeking more than $167 million in a lawsuit against former employee Martin Tripp, recent legal filings revealed. The electric carmarker has previously characterized Tripp as a disgruntled ex-employee. (CNBC)
STOCKS TO WATCH
Tencent Music is due to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday under the symbol "TME" (TME.N).
American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) reported quarterly earnings of 48 cents per share, in line with analyst forecasts. The apparel retailer's revenue was slightly below forecasts, as was a comparable store sales increase of eight percent.
Dave & Buster's Entertainment (PLAY) beat estimates by six cents with quarterly profit of 30 cents per share, and the entertainment and restaurant chain also saw revenue beat estimates. However, the shares are being pressured on weaker than expected comparable sales as well as a downbeat 2019 revenue growth forecast.
First Solar (FSLR) gave an upbeat forecast for fiscal 2019, helping boost the shares in extended hours trading. In October, the solar power systems company had lowered its fiscal 2018 forecast due to lower than expected sales of solar modules and higher manufacturing costs.
Credit Suisse (CS) said it planned to increase its dividend by at least five percent from 2019 onward, and announced a $1.5 billion share buyback. The news follows a three-year revamping by the Switzerland-based bank.
Marriott's (MAR) recently revealed cyberattack has been linked to a Chinese government spy agency, according to a report in the New York Times.
SoftBank is planning to sell its stake in graphics chipmaker Nvidia (NVDA) early in 2019, according to a Bloomberg report citing people familiar with the matter. The sale could provide SoftBank with a profit of about $3 billion.
Lululemon (LULU) was upgraded to "buy" from "neutral" at Citi, which notes that even winning brands among athletic apparel maker have been taken down on fears of a macroeconomic slowdown. However, Citi said Lululemon has improving fundamentals and standout growth prospects.
Bank of America (BAC) and Morgan Stanley (MS) were both downgraded to "market perform" from "outperform" at Keefe, Bruyette, and Woods amid the firm's overall downgrade of the banking sector to "market weight" from "overweight".
WATERCOOLER
Irene O'Shea, an Australian woman who celebrated her 102nd birthday by going skydiving, also made history over the weekend. O'Shea became the oldest skydiver in the world, SA Skydiving confirmed to PEOPLE.