10 Things You Need To Know Before The Opening Bell

Eric Platt

Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Good morning. Here's what you need to know.

• Markets in Asia moved marginally higher overnight, with Japan's Nikkei up 0.3 percent. European shares are mixed and U.S. futures point to a slightly negative open. 

• European manufacturing fell sharply in April, new PMI data shows. Spain, Italy, Greece, Germany, and France all logged declines. German PMI fell to a 33-month low of 46.2, while France declined to 46..

• Eurozone unemployment increased ten basis points to 10.9 percent in March, in line with expectations. Spain recorded the highest jobless rate, while Austria recorded the lowest rate.

• Chinese manufacturing declined at a slower pace than an early flash reading indicated, new data out of HSBC shows. The key PMI figure increased 20 basis points to 49.3. A reading below 50 indicates contraction.

• Chinese-American relations showed strain after Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng left the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on Wednesday. China's Foreign Ministry denounced the U.S.

• Wynn Macau was given the green light to construct a casino and resort on a 51-acre resort in Cotai. Wynn will invest some $3 billion in the 1,500 to 2,000 room project.

• UBS missed quarterly profit expectations this morning, saying it earned 827 million Swiss francs during the first quarter, 54 percent below earnings in the year ago period. Revenue fell 22 percent to 6.53 billion francs. The Swiss financial giant reported healthy inflows in its wealth management division.

• U.S. auto sales improved slightly to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 14.4 million units, above the 14.32 million pace in March. Automakers beat nearly across the board, although both Ford and General Motors reported sales declines. 

• Economic announcements kick off in the U.S. at 8:15 with the ADP Employment Report. Consensus is for payrolls to increase by 170,000, lower than the 209,000 increase recorded last month. Factory orders follow at 10:00, with expectations for a 1.7 percent contraction. 

• Media giants Time Warner and Comcast beat earnings expectations this morning — both three cents ahead of consensus. NBC owner Comcast reported EPS of $0.45, while Time Warner saw $0.67.