10 things you need to know before the opening bell (SPY, SPX, QQQ, DIA, TSLA, NVDA, CGC)

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August 21, 2018 11:46 AM

This is what traders are talking about.

Here is what you need to know.

Trump doubles down on claims that China and the EU are currency manipulators. "What they're doing is making up for the fact that they're now paying ... hundreds of millions of dollars and in some cases billions of dollars into the United States Treasury," President Donald Trump told Reuters. "And so they're being accommodated and I'm not. And I'll still win."

Trump says he's 'not thrilled' about Federal Reserve rate hikes. He added that he would keep criticizing the central bank if interest-rate hikes continued.

The dollar is falling. The US dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of its peers, was trading down 0.34% at 95.57 after Trump's comments.

Bank of America names 2 sectors investors should buy in to as the bull market makes history. The bull market is one day away from becoming the longest in history, as measured by its rise from the trough hit in March 2009, and Bank of America says it's not ending anytime soon, mainly because earnings growth is so strong.

Elon Musk says Tesla could 'maybe' make a $25,000 model. "I think in order for us to get up to … a 25,000 car, that's something we can do," the Tesla CEO told the YouTube personality Marques Brownlee. "If we work really hard, I think maybe we can do that in three years."

BHP Billiton announces a record dividend. The mining giant said statutory profit fell 37% because of its fatal Brazil mine disaster but announced a record dividend of $0.63 a share.

Nvidia announces its next generation of GeForce graphics cards. The chipmaker gained 1.23% on Monday after announcing its new lineup of GeForce graphics cards, which give everyday consumer access to ray-tracing technology for the first time.

The world's largest publicly traded marijuana company hits a record high. Shares soared more than 11% on Monday, hitting a record high of $37.65 apiece, just days after Constellation Brands, the maker of Corona beer and Svedka vodka, upped its stake to 38%.

Stock markets around the world are higher. China's Shanghai Composite (+1.31%) led the gains in Asia, and France's CAC (+0.74%) is out front in Europe. The S&P 500 is set to open up 0.23% near 2,864.

Earnings reports keep coming. Kohl's, TJX, and Toll Brothers report ahead of the opening bell.

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