5 things to know before the stock market opens Wednesday

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Here are five key things investors need to know to start the trading day:

The volatile U.S.-China relationship hit another bump yesterday when President Donald Trump said he is considering placing a cooking oil embargo on Beijing in retaliation for it’s refusal to buy U.S. soybeans. The ongoing feud has led to choppy stock market trading over recent days.

Here’s the latest:

In a Truth Social post published shortly before yesterday’s closing bell, Trump wrote that China’s refusal to buy American soybeans is “an Economically Hostile Act.” Trump threatened blocking all business with China “having to do with Cooking Oil.”China was the top buyer of the U.S. crop last year but has not purchased any soybeans since May, as the countries have sparred over trade policy.The White House has criticized China in recent days and threatened a new 100% tariff, following China’s tightening of export restrictions for rare earth materials.U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told CNBC yesterday that China’s future actions will determine if the higher levies are actually implemented. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said China’s latest moves are an attempt “to pull everybody else down with them.”Stocks have whipsawed in recent sessions as investors monitored the latest developments. The S&P 500 ended yesterday’s session in the red after Trump’s post stymied the index’s attempted comeback.Follow live market updates here.

While Trump has repeatedly said that his administration’s mass layoffs are targeting “Democrat Agencies” amid the shutdown, the cuts also appear to be affecting bipartisan efforts. At the Treasury Department — where nearly 1,450 federal employees have received reduction-in-force notices — the entire 83-person staff of the bipartisan-supported Community Development Financial Institutions Fund was cut.

As the shutdown enters its third week, air traffic controllers have handed out leaflets at some airports urging the public to pressure Congress to reopen the government. Some airports meanwhile are refusing to play a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blaming Democrats for the shutdown.

With September’s figures now in the books, Boeing is on track for its highest annual plane delivery count since 2018. The company said yesterday that it delivered 55 aircraft last month, bringing its total to 440 airplanes in the first nine months of 2025.

As CNBC’s Leslie Josephs notes, Boeing has been able to stabilize its production following several safety and production crises. Executives are aiming to increase production of Boeing’s pricey 737 Max planes.

Boeing on Tuesday also received approval from European Union antitrust regulators for its $4.7 billion acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems. The plane maker agreed to sell some of Spirit’s businesses to remedy competition concerns.

The Justice Department seized around $15 billion worth of bitcoin from the cryptocurrency wallets of Chen Zhi, who prosecutors allege ran a large-scale “pig butchering” fraud operation in Cambodia. Zhi, who remains at large, is charged with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.

It is the largest-ever forfeiture action sought by the DOJ.

Survey results from JPMorgan highlight just how differently Americans in different income brackets view the economy.

— CNBC’s Leslie Josephs, Dan Mangan, Lillian Rizzo, Kevin Breuninger, Spencer Kimball, Jeff Cox and Liz Napolitano contributed to this report. Josephine Rozzelle edited this edition.