1. Bitcoin futures skyrocket in first hours of trading
Bitcoin futures soared after making their debut on Wall Street on Sunday night, with contracts expiring in January rising by 21 percent to go as high as $18,700 before falling to $17,600 early Monday, CBOE Global Markets said. The launch of bitcoin futures trading contributed to a surge in bitcoin prices last week as people interpreted the sale of bitcoin futures as a sign the cryptocurrency is gaining wider acceptance. Bitcoin started the year around $1,000, with its meteoric rise fueling both investor enthusiasm and warnings that bitcoin's prices were too high to justify. Grant Spencer, acting governor of the Reserve bank, said Sunday that bitcoin appeared to be a "classic case" of a bubble.
2. Ascension and Providence discuss massive hospital merger
Major hospital operators Ascension and Providence St. Joseph Health, both nonprofits, are discussing a possible merger that could create the biggest hospital owner in the U.S., The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, citing people familiar with the talks. If they merge, the new operation would have 191 hospitals in 27 states with $44.8 billion in annual revenue, beating the current leading hospital operator, HCA Healthcare Inc., which has 177 hospitals. A deal is far from certain, people with knowledge of the talks said, and it could lead to an arrangement short of a merger. The discussions come as the health-care industry is facing potentially significant changes that could affect how people get care, such as CVS Health Corp.'s $69 billion deal to buy insurer Aetna.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Wall Street Journal MarketWatch
3. U.S. jobs report lifts world stocks, U.S. futures rise
Global stocks rose on Monday following Friday's upbeat jobs report in the U.S. Major indexes in Germany and France rose by 0.1 percent, while Britain's gained 0.7 percent. In the U.S., Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 futures appeared headed for another run into to record territory ahead of this week's Federal Reserve meeting, which is expected to end with an interest rate hike in response to the strengthening economy. Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq-100 futures were up by 0.2 percent early Monday.
The Associated Press MarketWatch
4. Green Monday offers a late shot at holiday bargains
Holiday shoppers have another chance to hunt for bargains on Dec. 11. EBay dubbed the second Monday in December "Green Monday" a decade ago, because it was typically one of the biggest online shopping days of the year as customers rushed to get gifts that can still arrive before Christmas with standard shipping. "Back in 2007, you really did have to be careful about shipping times," said Lindsay Sakraida, director of content marketing for DealNews.com. "There is this belief, even today, though, that it's the last day you can shop online for holiday gifts and that's absolutely not the case." Even though Amazon and many stores now guarantee shipping until Dec. 22 or Dec. 23, many big retailers are offering discounts, although typically not as big as those seen on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
5. Coco leads weekend box office for third straight week
The new Pixar hit Coco led the box office for the third straight weekend. Disney estimated on Sunday that the animated film brought in another $18.3 million, raising its domestic total to $135.5 million. The only movie making a debut in wide release, Morgan Freeman's Just Getting Started, made just $3.2 million. Most studios want to stay clear of directly competing with the next Star Wars movie, The Last Jedi, which is expected to trounce the competition when it opens Dec. 15.
-
'Enforcement of rulings remains spotty at best'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Book reviews: 'King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution' and 'Gwyneth: The Biography'Feature How the Iranian Revolution began and Gwyneth Paltrow's life in the spotlight
-
Garrett Graff's 6 favorite books that shine new light on World War IIFeature The author recommends works by James D. Hornfischer, Craig L. Symonds, and more
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weaponsThe Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarrayIn the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
