Finance: 10 things you need to know before the opening bell

This is what traders are talking about.

Here is what you need to know.

Moody's downgrades China. The ratings agency cut its China rating from Aa3 to A1, saying it "expects that economy-wide leverage will increase further over the coming years.”

Iron ore got crushed. The commodity tumbled more than 6% after Moody's downgraded China.

Bitcoin roars to a new high. The cryptocurrency trades up $109, or 4.9%, at $2,325 a coin. Wednesday marks the first time bitcoin has cleared the $2,300 level.

Fed's Harker says a June rate hike is on the table. Speaking to reporters, Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker said a June rate hike was a "distinct possibility."

Glencore is trying to get into America's agriculture market. Glencore, one of the world's largest commodities traders, is reportedly making a run at Bunge, but there's no assurance a deal will be reached, the Wall Street Journal says.

The owner of Corona reportedly made an offer for the owner of Jack Daniels. Constellation Brands made an undisclosed offer for Brown-Forman, but was rejected, CNBC reports.

Softbank is taking a big stake in NVIDIA. The Japanese tech giant has invested $4 billion in the chip maker, good for about a 4.9% stake, Bloomberg says.

Stock markets around the world are higher. Japan's Nikkei ( 0.7%) paced the advance in Asia and Britain's FTSE ( 0.2%) is out front in Europe. The S&P 500 is set to open slightly higher near 2,400.

Earnings reports flow. Lowe's and Tiffany report ahead of the opening bell while HP releases its quarterly results after markets close.

US economic data remains light. The FHFA House Price Index and existing home sales will cross the wires at 9 a.m. ET and 10 a.m. ET, respectively. The minutes from the May FOMC meeting are due out at 2 p.m. ET. The US 10-year yield is down 1 basis point at 2.27%.

This is what traders are talking about. Read Full Story