Opening Bell, August 9, 2018

Trump
(R) and Putin (L)

Mikhail
Klimentyev/AP

Here is what you need to know.

The Trump administration is
planning to impose targeted sanctions on
Russia. The action follows the alleged March
poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter
Yulia on British soil.

The SEC has reportedly
made inquiries into Tesla about Elon Musk’s tweet regarding
possibly taking the company private. The regulatory
body is looking into whether Musk’s tweets were truthful, and
also why the CEO made the announcement on Twitter, instead of a
regulatory filing.

The ongoing feud between
Canada and Saudi Arabia is continuing to
escalate. Trudeau on Wednesday made his first
public statement about mounting diplomatic crisis, which has
stemmed from a human rights issue. He promised to stand firm
against Saudi aggression.

More than 150 rockets were
launched from the Gaza Strip overnight and Israel retaliated with
deadly airstrikes. The Israeli Defense Forces
(IDF) claimed that mounting violence began on Wednesday after
militants shot at an IDF vehicle in Gaza.

Another major earthquake hit
Indonesia, days after a bigger one killed 347
people. According to Indonesia’s meteorological
agency, Thursday’s earthquake struck at a depth of 12.5 miles,
originating several miles northwest of Lombok.

Research outfit Leuthold Group
says one stock market valuation metric is double where it was at
the peak of the tech bubble. The development
could have large implications for stock investors of all types,
particularly value traders who make their living by finding
discounts in the market.

Data and analytics company Dun
& Bradstreet Corp said it will go private. It
agreed to be acquired by an investor group led by CC
Capital, Cannae Holdings and funds affiliated with Thomas H. Lee
Partners, L.P., along with a group of other investors.

Stock markets around the world
trade mixed. Japan’s Nikkei index (-0.2%) climbed in
Asia, and Germany’s DAX (-0.36%) led losses across Europe. The
S&P 500 is set to open up 0.1% near 2,857.

Earnings reporting
continues. Adidas, Red Hat, and Bridgestone are
among the companies reporting on Thursday.

US economic data keeps coming
out. Initial jobless claims are out at 8:30 a.m. ET.
The US 10-year yield is down less than 1 basis point at 2.97%.