1. Dow futures rise, indicating rebound from 165-point drop
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures indicated a higher open, priming the 30-stock average to snap a three-session slide and recovering some of Tuesday's decline of 165 points. Dow futures were up by 91 points, indicating a gain of more than 80 points to start off Wednesday's session. S&P 500 futures also traded higher while Nasdaq 100 futures pointed to a record high for the tech-heavy index.
2. Number of new coronavirus cases slows down
China's National Health Commission reported 1,749 additional cases of coronavirus, the lowest number of newly confirmed cases since Jan. 29. Excluding the Hubei region in China, new coronavirus cases have fallen for 15 straight days. Still, the virus continues to spread worldwide. In Iran, two people tested positive for coronavirus. Meanwhile, 79 more people have tested positive for coronavirus on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, Japan said.
3. Bernie Sanders goes into debate riding a surge in poll numbers
An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll showed Sen. Bernie Sanders leading the pack of Democratic presidential hopefuls by double digits. That poll comes ahead of a key debate set for later on Wednesday, which will feature former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Sanders is seen by some on Wall Street as a threat to the stock market given some of his policy proposals. Billionaire investor Leon Cooperman told CNBC on Tuesday that a Sanders presidency worried him more than the coronavirus outbreak.
4. Companies have hard time finding qualified workers
Finding qualified workers is becoming more and more difficult for companies. Data compiled by Manpower Group showed that about 7 out of 10 companies reported talent shortages in 2019. That's more than three times the talent shortage reported a decade ago and a 17% jump from the prior year. This comes even as job openings remain abundant. Job openings totaled 6.4 million in December.
5. Boeing finds foreign object debris in undelivered 737 Max jets
CNBC learned that Boeing told its employees the company has discovered foreign object debris in the fuel tanks of "several" 737 Max airplanes that are currently in storage. A Boeing official said in a note to employees this is "absolutely unacceptable." The company added it will inspect all undelivered 737 Max jets.
