10 things you need to know before the opening bell

Here is what you need to know.

The Senate has begun the process to repeal Obamacare. The Senate voted 51 to 48 in favor of allowing "key committees to draft legislation" that would repeal Obamacare, Reuters reports.

China's credit creation is booming. Chinese banks lent a record 12.65 trillion yuan worth of loans in 2016, data released by the People's Bank of China showed on Thursday.

Mark Carney warns a 2-year Brexit will have "consequences." In a Q&A session with British MPs, Mark Carney, the head of the Bank of England, pushed for a transition deal, as opposed to a hard break from the European Union, to be put in place once the Article 50 Brexit talks finish. The British pound is higher by 0.5% at 1.2273 against the dollar.

The FTSE's record-breaking streak is in jeopardy.Britain's FTSE has enjoyed a record-breaking 10-day winning streak but currently trades down 0.1%.

Gold regains $1200. The yellow metal trades up 1.1% at $1204 per ounce, regaining the $1200 mark for the first time since November 23.

Volkswagen pleads guilty. The German automaker announced it will plead guilty to three felonies and pay $4.3 billion worth of penalties and fines as part of its emissions cheating scandal settlement with the US government.

Stock markets around the world are lower. Japan's Nikkei (-1.2%) lagged in Asia and Germany's DAX (-0.4%) trails in Europe. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is on track to open lower by 0.2% near 19,915.

Earnings reporting is light. Delta Air Lines reports ahead of the opening bell.

Fed speak is heavy. Philly's Harker, Chicago's Evans, Atlanta's Lockhart, St Louis' Bullard, and Dallas' Kaplan speak throughout the day.

US economic data trickles out. Initial jobless claims will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. The US 10-year yield is down 4 basis points at 2.33%.