10 things you need to know before the opening bell

Reuters / Rafael Marchante

Here is what you need to know.

The House voted to avoid a government shutdown. The bill passed on a 230 to 197 vote, with 11 Republicans voting against the bill put forth by their own party's leadership. However, the plan could still crash and burn in the Senate.

An Italian antitrust agency opened an investigation into allegations that Apple and Samsung used software updates to slow phones. The watchdog said in a statement that the two companies had not told clients that the updates might have a negative impact on the performance of their phones, Reuters reports.

Snap reportedly laid off about 24 people across eight different teams, mostly in the unit that curates users' videos. Some staff have reportedly asked to be relocated to Los Angeles too.

Business Insider spoke to one of Wall Street's best-performing portfolio managers last year, who revealed his investing secrets. His $199 million Fifth Avenue Growth Fund smash benchmarks in 2017 with a 40.6% return.

The dollar dips near 3 year lows amid fears of a US government shutdown. The greenback has already lost 2% in the early days of 2018, reflecting investor nervousness, Reuters reports.

Britain's retail sector got crushed in December - and Black Friday is to blame. UK retail sales dropped 1.5% in the month compared to November, falling even more than the 1% drop forecast prior to the release.

Some cryptocurrency traders in South Korea took the bitcoin 'bloodbath' to a whole new level. Users on the country's online community DC Inside displayed their frustrations by posting profanity-laced stories and uploading images of broken items that they said resulted from their anger over the valuations.

Stock markets around the world are stronger. China's Shanghai Composite (+0.38%) climbed, while Germany's DAX (+1.07%) surged. The S&P 500 is set to open up 0.3% near 2,804.

Earnings reports continue to be released. Citizens Financial Group, Suntrust and Kansas City Southern are set to report before the market open.