10 things you need to know before the opening bell

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Here is what you need to know.

1. US banks and hedge funds may have fuelled the shock surge in money market rates, report finds.The unwillingness of the top four US banks to lend cash, combined with a burst of demand from hedge funds for secured funding, could explain a recent spike in US money market rates, the Bank for International Settlements said.

2. Goldman Sachs sees gold soaring 9% in 2020 as Trump’s trade-war and recession fears grip investors. The investment bank pointed to a host of reasons, even Modern Monetary Theory, as factors in its forecast.

3. A British oil stock tanked 60% after the shock resignation of the CEO and head of exploration. Tullow Oil plunged after the CEO and the exploration director suddenly quit. The company also halted its dividend and reduced its production guidance.

4. Jeff Bezos says employee activists are wrong and Silicon Valley firms should feel comfortable doing business with the US military.Bezos said it’s the responsibility of management to push back against employee outrage towards military contracts.

5. Non-Saudi buyers got 23% of Aramco IPO institutional tranche according to state TV channel Al Arabiya TV. State-owned Aramco is expected to list 1.5% of its shares on the Saudi exchange later this week in a deal worth $US25.6 billion.

6. China says hopes it can reach trade agreement with US as soon as possible. China said on Monday that it hoped to make a trade deal with the United States as soon as possible, amid intense discussions before fresh US tariffs on Chinese imports are due to kick in at the end of the week.

7. Japan’s economy expanded at a much faster-than-initially-reported pace in the third quarter. Resilient domestic demand and business spending offset the hit to growth from falling exports and global trade tensions.

8. Stocks are muted on Monday. US futures underlying the Dow (-0.1%), S&P 500 (-0.1%) and the Nasdaq (-0.1%) are falling marginally. European stocks are falling with the DAX (-0.2%) and the Euro Stoxx (-0.2%) sliding. Asian stocks closed mixed with the Nikkei (+0.3%) and Shanghai Composite (+0.1%) rising but the Hang Seng closed flat.

9. Today is a quieter earnings day. Destination Maternity and Stich Fix are the highlights.

10. There is no notable data out from the US today.European market watchers will be keeping an eye on the German trade balance data out today.