5 Important Facts to Be Aware of Before the Stock Market Begins Trading

China has taken bold steps to address its struggling housing market, implementing new measures to ease mortgage rules and encourage the purchase of unsold homes for affordable housing. The country’s central bank has removed the floor on mortgage rates and cut down-payment ratios, while also providing funding for government-backed firms to buy excess inventory from developers. This move comes as China’s housing downturn has impacted consumer spending and led to accusations of dumping excess capacity.

In other news, Reddit’s shares are surging after the social-media platform struck a deal with OpenAI to share its content. This partnership will allow OpenAI to train its AI models using Reddit content, in exchange for features being offered to Reddit users and moderators. Reddit has also partnered with Google earlier this year for similar purposes.

Boeing is facing shareholder scrutiny at its annual meeting today, with a vote on outgoing CEO Dave Calhoun’s status on the board. Proxy advisor Glass Lewis has recommended shareholders vote against Calhoun’s re-election, citing concerns over the company’s safety culture transformation efforts. Boeing has been dealing with safety-related incidents, including a recent incident involving a door plug on an Alaska Airlines flight.

Meanwhile, around 5,000 employees at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama are voting on whether to form a union and be represented by the United Auto Workers. This decision could have significant implications for organized labor in the South, where unions have historically struggled to make gains.

Lastly, the International Energy Agency has warned that the world lacks enough critical minerals to support a smooth transition to clean energy. The demand for technologies like solar panels and electric vehicles is growing rapidly, but the supply of critical minerals like copper and lithium may fall short. The IEA report highlights the importance of securing sustainable access to critical minerals for a successful clean energy transition.