10 things you need to know before the opening bell
Here is what you need to know. Things are looking up for China’s manufacturing sector . “China’s manufacturing sector finished the opening quarter of 2019 on a positive note, with operating conditions improving for the first time since last November,” IHS Markit said in a report released Monday. “Firms signalled slightly quicker rises in output and overall new work, while employment increased for the first time in over five years.” China is using debt to control the South China Sea . China’s One Belt One Road project and the massive infrastructure loans associated with it are helping to weaken opposition to its claims in the South China Sea. Japan announces the name of the era under the new emperor . Naruhito will become the Japanese emperor on May 1, beginning the “Reiwa” era. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a fan of MMT — here’s what it is . Modern Monetary Theory says governments who create their own money can spend freely because they can always print more money to pay off t