5 things to know before the stock market opens Friday

5 things to know before the stock market opens Friday

Here are the most important news, trends and analysis that investors need to start their trading day:1. Wall Street set for a steady open after Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq all closed at recordsU.S. stock futures were little changed Friday, with Wall Street wondering whether Capitol Hill can deliver a new Covid-19 stimulus package and a spending bill before government funding runs out just after midnight. Hopes that those measures come together pushed the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq to record closing highs. All three stock benchmarks were tracking for solid weekly gains, with the Nasdaq up more than 3% as of Thursday's close.Bitcoin traded above $23,000 overnight after topping that level for the first time ever Thursday before pairing its gains. The world's largest cryptocurrency has soared more than 350% in 2020, by far the year's best performing asset class. Bitcoin's incredible rally has been fueled by increased demand from institutional investors using bitcoin as an inflation hedge.2. Moderna on track to become second Covid vaccine approved in U.S. for emergency useModerna's coronavirus vaccine on Thursday received a positive recommendation from an FDA panel, setting up possible emergency use authorization from the agency Friday. Moderna's vaccine was