Written by Gary
The US equities main benchmarks point to a lower, but flat opening (SPY -0.02%) as tax reform to be a background focus for markets. The launch of bitcoin futures raising investor interest in cryptocurrency related companies.
Here is the current market situation from CNN Money | |
 | European markets are mixed. The FTSE 100 is higher by 0.46%, while the CAC 40 is leading the DAX lower. They are down 0.15% and 0.07% respectively. |
From MarketWatch . . .
Bitcoin futures: Here’s what you need to know
Bitcoin futures soar past $18,000 in debut, with the leap setting off trading halts
Opinion: Brokers say bitcoin futures contracts ignore risks
Ride the bitcoin wave with these 11 cryptocurrency-related stocks
Traders and bankers will get some of their bonuses in bitcoin
Nassim ‘Black Swan’ Taleb says bitcoin can’t be shorted properly as futures debut
From CNBC . . .
S&P 500 futures erase gains, Treasurys rise after reports of explosion at New York’s Port Authority terminal
New bitcoin futures surge on Cboe — and even trigger two trading halts
Currency expert says there’s one fundamental reason behind bitcoin’s runaway rally
Investors ‘haven’t missed the train’ on bitcoin yet, but it could be a wild ride, analyst says
Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: ADP, FIT, X, LKQ & more
Bitcoin price jumps $2,000 after Cboe futures launch
What Is Moving the Markets
| Here are the headlines moving the markets. | |
 | Bitcoin futures steal spotlight, momentum keeps pushing stocks upLONDON (Reuters) – World stocks climbed and equity volatility neared a record low on Monday as investors focused on strong economic growth signs ahead of a slew of interest rate decisions, while the launch of bitcoin futures fed the market’s cryptocurrency obsession. |
| Ford’s November China vehicle sales drop 8 percent year-on-year(Reuters) – Ford Motor Co’s sales in China fell 8 percent in November from a year ago, following a 5 percent decline in October, the U.S. automaker said on Monday. |
| Hotly anticipated bitcoin futures ease off after 22 percent surgeNEW YORK/SYDNEY/LONDON (Reuters) – Bitcoin futures eased back from an initial surge of almost 22 percent to trade up 13 percent on Monday, in an eagerly awaited U.S. market debut that backers hope will confer greater legitimacy on the volatile cryptocurrency and lead to its wider use. |
| Apple aims to block climate, rights proposals with quick use of SEC guidanceBOSTON (Reuters) – Apple Inc is pushing back on shareholder proposals on climate issue and human rights concerns, an effort activists worry could sharply restrict investor rights. |
| Uber’s London license appeal to be heard next yearLONDON (Reuters) – Uber [UBER.UL] will defend its right to operate in London in court next year after the app was deemed unfit to run a taxi service and stripped of its license in its most important European market. |
| Futures inch up, bitcoin grabs investor interest(Reuters) – U.S. stock futures pointed to a higher opening for Wall Street on Monday, with the launch of bitcoin futures raising investor interest in cryptocurrency related companies. |
| Icahn nominates four directors to Xerox’s board(Reuters) – Activist investor Carl Icahn has named four nominees to Xerox Corp’s board of directors, the company said on Monday, after a current Icahn-appointed director resigned due to a difference of opinion with the board. |
| Bangladesh minister says wants to ‘wipe out’ Manila bank for heist roleDHAKA (Reuters) – Bangladesh’s finance minister said late on Saturday he wanted to “wipe out” a Philippines bank that was used to channel $81 million stolen from the Bangladeshi central bank’s account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York last year. |
| Mediaset hopes truce with Vivendi to come with content deal with Telecom Italia: mediaMILAN (Reuters) – Mediaset’s chief executive said he hoped the shared interest over TV content with Telecom Italia (TIM) could pave the way to a truce with France’s Vivendi , speaking in a interview published late on Sunday. |
| VIX Briefly Tops 10 After NYC Pipe Bomb Explosion‘Panic-stricken’ traders briefly pushed VIX above 10 and S&P futures dipped a handful of points after an explosion hit midtown Manhattan… However, that dip was bought as the situation was ‘contained’…
Everything is awesome again now though – nothing to see here. |
| Suspect In Custody After Pipe Bomb Explodes At New York’s Port Authority, Injuries ReportedUpdate: all the latest developments: PORT AUTHORITY BUS TERMINAL EXPLOSION CAUSED BY PIPE BOMB. FEW INJURIES, SUSPECT IN CUSTODY: ABC7 FEW INJURIES AFTER THE EXPLOSION TOOK PLACE BELOW GROUND AT PORT AUTHORITY POLICE SOURCE TELL NY1 SUSPECT WAS WEARING AN EXPLOSIVE VEST: BBG PORT AUTHORITY SUSPECT HAD POSSIBLE SECOND DEVICE; IN CUSTODY: PIX11 THE POLICE HAVE VIDEO AND ARE CONFIDENT THE SITUATION IS CONTAINED
The person in custody has been confirmed by CNN:
As the |
| Bitcoin Futures Top $18,000, Soar 20% From Open – Halted for Second TimeUpdate: At 10:05pm ET, the CFE halted trading in Cboe Bitcoin Futures (XBT), in accordance with CFE Rule 1302(i)(ii) which defines the threshold for the halt as a 20% surge. XBT will re-open for trading approximately five (5)minutes from the time of the halt. Bitcoin Futures have topped $18,000 for the first time…
It was reopened at 10:10pm ET. All of which is odd because Bob Pisani and the rest of the mainstream said that the opening of Bitcoin Futures would bring about the demise of the cryptocurrency due to the ability to short? * * * Update: At precisely 8:31pm ET, the CBOE instituted the first ever XBT trading halt, which lasted for two minutes according to a notice on Cboe’s website. XBT contracts have since resumed trading. As a reminder, the Cboe can halt trading for 2 minutes after 10% swings, and 5 minutes at 20%, an attempt to prevent wild swings.
Notably earlier in the evenig they exercised discretion and decided nto to halt the XBT trading as the first opening spike occurred… |
| Bitcoin – Plan Your Exit Strategy Now – Maybe With GoldBitcoin – Plan Your Exit Strategy Now – Maybe With Gold Made money in bitcoin? Well done. Don’t wait until the stampede starts. Here’s what you must do now. by Dominic Frisby in Money Week So there I was on Sunday afternoon, doing what it is one does on a Sunday – very little in my case – and a notification comes up on my phone: “Bitcoin rises over 10% to $11,800”.
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| China’s Clean Energy Future Has a $1.2 Trillion ProblemChina is pushing hard to dominate new energy industries and clean up terrible air pollution. Too bad about all that coal-power debt. |
| Will Media Deal Making Dethrone Netflix?Big media struggles with streaming but increased competition will make it harder for Netflix to stay ahead. |
| How Tight a Job Market Is Too Tight for the Fed?The labor market is red hot except for wage growth. The Federal Reserve probably won’t have to wait long for more signs that conditions are tight enough to keep raising rates. |
| Metals Stocks: Gold pauses selloff as dollar softens though pressure from stock, bitcoin gains persistsGold prices clawed up modestly Monday from the five-month lows hit Friday, helped by a weaker dollar. |
| The New York Post: Suspected suicide bomber arrested following explosion at New York City’s Port Authority bus terminalSuspect injured after the device partially detonated inside the passageway to the N, Q and R trains. |
| Market Snapshot: Dow, S&P 500 set for fresh records as traders gear up for Fed hikeU.S. stock-index futures trade modestly higher Monday, with the main equity benchmarks poised to hit fresh records ahead of Wednesday’s Federal Reserve meeting and important inflation data. |
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