1. Trump faces the press

President-elect Donald Trump is set to hold his first press conference since July.

Investors are hoping Trump will provide more detail on his plans for trade, taxes, jobs and Obamacare.

He canceled a previously scheduled press conference in December where he was expected to outline how he'd deal with conflicts of interest arising from his sprawling business dealings.

Trump is also likely to face questions about allegations that Russian operatives claim to have compromising personal and financial information about him.

His comments at the conference - much like his tweets - will be closely dissected and have the potential to move markets around the world.

2. Global market overview

U.S. stock futures are holding steady after a mixed trading day on Tuesday.

The Nasdaq pushed to fresh record highs yesterday while the other two indexes didn't make many major moves.

European trading is relatively muted right now while Asian markets are closing the day with mixed results.

3. The USD is pushing higher

The dollar rose against a basket of the other major currencies on Wednesday as investors awaited a press conference by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump scheduled for 16.00 GMT.

The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was up 0.3% to 102.32.

Investors remained cautious ahead of Trump's press conference as they awaited indications on the direction of his economic policies.

Trump will take office on January 20 and has yet to outline his policies in detail.

While Trump's election pledges for tax cuts and more infrastructure spending have boosted U.S. stocks and the dollar, his protectionist stance and the sudden episodes of market volatility triggered by his prolific tweeting have made many investors wary.

4. Stocks to watch

Shares in Samsung performed well Wednesday despite news about its links to a growing corruption scandal.

Prosecutors have named the heir to the Samsung empire as a suspect in a massive corruption scandal that has rocked South Korea.

Samsung shares closed with a 2.8% gain.

Volkswagen (VLKAY) stock is also buoyant in Germany after the automaker announced it's negotiating a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department that would require it to pay $4.3 billion in fines and plead guilty to criminal wrongdoing over its diesel emission scandal.

Shares in J Sainsbury (JSAIY) are rallying in London after the grocery chain released a well-received business update for the holiday season.