10 things you need to know before the opening bell

Reuters

A man rides his bike in front of the NYSE, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues in New York.

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

1. Saudi Arabia plowed $1 billion into Shell and other European oil producers. Saudi's Public Investment Fund, which recently took an 8.2% stake in cruise giant Carnival, made the purchases.
   
   
2. There is a looming global shortage of condoms and the UN is warning of its devastating consequences. The UN has warned this decline in production could lead to a devastating rise in unintended pregnancies.
   
   
3. Obama calls out the lack of a 'robust system of testing' for coronavirus in the US. The US is well behind other nations in terms of testing for coronavirus per capita.
   
   
4. Prague gets a grip on Airbnb with coronavirus crisis laws. "We want to get more information from Airbnb owners about the capacity of their apartments, how they are being used and the fees they receive," Prague's mayor said.
   
   
5. UniCredit renews commitment to boosting shareholder returns. The Italian bank remains strongly committed to increasing returns for investors following a decision to suspend dividend payments and a share buyback to comply with supervisory guidance.
   
   
6. Tesla's China sales hit record high in March. The electric-vehicle titan sold 10,160 vehicles in China in March, its highest ever monthly sales in the world's largest auto market.
   
   
7. Wall Street firm dangled up to 175% returns to investors using U.S. aid programs. The idea was in "formative stages" and the firm was not "presently moving forward with this strategy given reasons that include uncertainty surrounding the regulations.
   
   
8. Stocks are mixed. In Europe, Germany's DAX rose 0.6%, Britain's FTSE 100 rose 2.4%, and the Euro Stoxx 50 was flat. In Asia, China's Shanghai Composite rose 0.4% while Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 1.4%, while Japan's Nikkei fell 0.04%. In the US, futures underlying the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2%, while S&P 500 and the Nasdaq fell 0.1%
   
   
9. Earnings expected. Delta Air Lines reports its first quarter, Japan's Fast Retailing and French facilities firm Sodexo report their second quarter, while Japan-based Seven & I updates on its fourth quarter.

10. On the economic calendar today. Continuing jobless claims are expected.

NOW WATCH: 3.3 million Americans filed for unemployment - and an economist predicts it could be far worse than the Great Recession