10 things you need to know before the opening bell

Here is what you need to know.

Hurricane Florence is due to make landfall on Saturday. The category 4 hurricane, which is now expected to make landfall in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, could produce 40 inches of rain and a 13-foot storm surge.

Insurance and construction stocks have taken a beating ahead of Hurricane Florence. Over the past three trading sessions, Travelers has fallen 3.5% and Summit Materials lost 9.4% as traders position themselves ahead of Florence's landfall.

Trump's trade war has Chinese stocks taking a beating while the US market soars. The Shanghai Composite has lost about 20% of its value in the six months since President Donald Trump kicked off his trade war with China while the Nasdaq has gained more than 15%.

New York overtakes London as world's top financial center. New York topped the list as the world's most attractive financial center, according to the Z/Yen global financial centers index. It was followed by London and Hong Kong.

Tech employees may be the big winners of the ETF explosion. Tech employees - who often times receive a large portion of their compensation in stock options - are the big winners of the exchange-traded fund market's $5 trillion explosion, according to a new study from Vincent Deluard of INTL FCStone.

Ethereum tumbles to a 16-month low. The cryptocurrency fell more than 8% early Wednesday to $169.12 a coin, and has lost more than 30% of its value over the past seven days.

Apple's iPhone event is here. The tech giant is expected to unveil three new iPhones and a slew of other products that may include a new Apple Watch and refreshed Air Pods at an event in Cupertino, California on Wednesday.

Stock markets around the world are mixed. China's Shanghai Composite (-0.33%) lagged in Asia and France's CAC (+0.53%) leads in Europe. The S&P 500 is set to open little changed near 2,891.

Earnings reports trickle out. Pivotal Software will report after markets close.

US economic data flows. PPI will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET and the Fed's Beige Book will cross the wires at 2 p.m. ET. The US 10-year yield is down 2 basis points at 2.96%.