10 things you need to know before the opening bell (SPY, SPX, QQQ, DIA, BAC, ICE)

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October 23, 2017 11:47 AM

This is what traders are talking about.

Here is what you need to know.

Shinzo Abe wins Japan's election by a landslide. Prime Minister Abe's coalition won more than two-thirds of the 465 seats that were up for grabs in Sunday's parliamentary election, CNN says.

Catalan leaders deny direct rule from Spain. It's the first time since Spain's return to democracy that the central government has used its powers to seize control of a regional administration.

China's home-price growth slows. Home prices in China rose 6.3% year-over-year in September, making for their slowest growth since April 2016, according to data released Monday by the National Bureau of Statistics.

The gloom surrounding the US dollar is starting to lift. "Leveraged funds were net buyers of USD for the third consecutive week," said Khoon Goh, the head of Asia research at ANZ Bank.

Bitcoin briefly tops $6,000. The cryptocurrency hit a record high of $6,063 a coin late Friday, according to Bloomberg data. It now trades down 1.74% at $5,869.

ICE is reportedly buying a stake in one of Europe's most important clearinghouses. The Intercontinental Exchange, the owner of the New York Stock Exchange, will buy a 4% stake in Euroclear, which clears trades on assets like stocks and bonds, for about £200 million, or $263.5 million, Sky News reports.

Merrill Lynch was fined by the UK for failing to report transactions. The Financial Conduct Authority fined the investment bank £34.5 million, or $45.4 million, for failing to report more than 68 million exchange-traded derivative transactions from 2014 to 2016.

Warren Buffett's diet can teach you a lot about his investing strategy. Business Insider's Bob Bryan ate like Warren Buffett for a week and learned three things about his investing strategy.

Stock markets around the world are higher. Japan's Nikkei (+1.11%) led the overnight gains, and France's CAC (+0.62%) is out front in Europe. The S&P 500 is set to open up 0.13% near 2,579.

Earnings reporting picks back up. Halliburton and T-Mobile report ahead of the opening bell.

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