It's been a dire quarter for global stock markets but it might end on a high note.
U.S. stock futures are trading higher, and indexes from Asia to Europe are notching up gains.
Here are the four things you need to know before the opening bell rings in New York:
1. Markets overview: European markets are striding higher in early trading, with most regional indexes managing gains of 2%. Asian markets ended in positive territory -- Japan's Nikkei led the way, recovering from a sharp fall on Tuesday.
2. Stock market movers -- Glencore, Volkswagen, Ralph Lauren: Glencore (GLNCY) continues to bounce back after the commodities group insisted the business remains "financially robust" and denied that it has solvency problems. The shares are up by about 10% Wednesday but still down by roughly 70% since the start of the year.
Volkswagen (VLKAY) shares gained about 3% in early European trade. The stock has lost a third of its value since news broke about the automaker cheating on diesel emissions tests.
Ralph Lauren (RL) shares rose nearly 4% in extended trading on news that a Gap (GPS) and Old Navy executive will replace Lauren as CEO. On the flip side, Gap's stock price is declining by about 4% premarket.
3. Economics: New data shows the eurozone is experiencing deflation again, with prices dipping by 0.1% in September. This figure will disappoint the European Central Bank, which introduced a stimulus program earlier this year to boost inflation and economic activity.
Meanwhile, European unemployment data for August shows the region continues to struggle with 11% unemployment, a number that has stayed stable compared to the previous month.
In the U.S., ADP will post its September employment figures at 8:15 a.m. ET.
Then, at 9:45 a.m., Wall Street will watch for the Chicago PMI, which may give some clues about what the ISM Index will say tomorrow.
Crude inventories data will be released at 10:30 a.m.
4. Tuesday recap: The Dow Jones industrial average inched up 0.3%, while the S&P 500 added 0.1% and the Nasdaq lost 0.6%.
