Happy birthday!
The bull market in U.S. stocks officially turns seven on Wednesday.
The Dow Jones industrial average and S&P 500 have been rising -- with the occasional correction -- since bottoming out on March 9, 2009. The question is: Can the good times last?
Here are the four things you need to know before the opening bell rings in New York:
1. Global markets overview: U.S. stock futures are holding steady around Tuesday's closing levels, and most European markets are rising in early trading.
Asian markets ended with mixed results. The main indexes in China took the biggest falls in the region, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite dropping by 1.3%.
Yields on 10-year government bonds are edging higher.
2. Watching commodities: Prices for gold and other precious metals are dipping, alongside a slide in industrial metals such as copper.
Crude oil futures are holding on to recent gains, trading around $37 per barrel. But prices could swing after the U.S. government releases its weekly crude inventory data at 10:30 a.m.
3. Stock market movers -- Chipotle, Volkswagen: Shares in Chipotle (CMG) are falling after the burrito chain had to close a store in Massachusetts due to concerns that several employees may have contracted the norovirus.
Chipotle was recently subpoenaed by a federal grand jury over a norovirus outbreak in California. That followed a lengthy E. coli outbreak that was connected to eating at Chipotle restaurants in multiple states.
The health scares have hurt the Chipotle brand. Last month the company closed all its stores in the U.S. for half a day to brief staff about food safety.
Shares in Volkswagen (VLKAY) are dipping in Germany after the U.S. Department of Justice was reported to be planning to use a bank fraud law to pursue a case against the automaker over its emissions scandal. The Department of Justice and Volkswagen declined to comment on the issue.
4. Tuesday market recap: It was a tough day on Tuesday following a five-day rally. All the main U.S. indexes fell. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 0.6%, the S&P 500 declined 1.1% and the Nasdaq was hardest hit, falling 1.3%.
But let's keep this in perspective: Over the past seven years, the Dow has surged by 159%, the S&P 500 is up 193% and the Nasdaq has made a stunning 266% gain.
