10 things you need to know before the opening bell

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10 things you need to know before the opening bell

Trump astronaut

Reuters/Carlos Barria

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a space astronaut toy as he participates in a signing ceremony for Space Policy Directive at the White House in Washington D.C.

Here is what you need to know.

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Small-business optimism soars. NFIB Small Business Optimism soared to 107.5 in November, hitting its highest level since 1983, according to Bloomberg.

UK inflation hits an almost 6-year high. Consumer prices rose 3.1% in November, making for the fastest pace since March 2012, Office for National Statistics data showed.

Saudi Arabia is reportedly planning to hike petrol prices by 80%. Saudi Arabia plans to raise gas and jet fuel prices by 80% in January, a person with knowledge of the plans told Bloomberg, as it looks to bolster state finances and remove subsidies.

Brent crude oil spikes. The international benchmark trades up 1.34% at $65.62 a barrel after major North Sea producer INEOS announced it is shutting its pipeline for at least two weeks due to a crack.

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The head of the SEC weighs in on cryptocurrency mania. SEC Chairman Jay Clayton on Monday acknowledged the revolutionary potential of cryptocurrencies and blockchain, but warned investors about exchange-traded funds holding cryptocurrencies and unregulated initial coin offerings.

Westfield agrees to sell itself. The mall owner has agreed to sell itself to France's Unibail-Rodamco for $15.7 billion, in what would be the biggest takeover of an Australian company on record, Reuters says.

Stock markets around the world trade mixed. Hong Kong's Hang Seng (-0.59%) lagged in Asia and Britain's FTSE (+0.22%) is out front in Europe. The S&P 500 is on track to open little changed near 2,662.

Earnings reporting remains light. MongoDB and Verifone report after markets close.

US economic trickles out. PPI will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. The US 10-year yield is down 1 basis point at 2.39%.

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