Good morning, friends and Fortune readers.
U.S. stocks look set to open higher Thursday, after the market’s major indexes hit new highs once again Wednesday. The Dow is now within less than 90 points of 18,000 after reaching its 33rd record close of 2014, while the S&P 500 index saw its 48th record finish of the year, according to CNBC. A serious amount of Bitcoin is coming up for auction, and a major retailer is getting out of China. Here’s what else you need to know today.
1. Best Buy says goodbye to China
The electronics retailer is selling its Chinese business to focus on its home continent of North America. Reports say Five Star, the Chinese branch of Best Buy (BBY), will be sold to real estate company Zhejiang Jiayuan Group. China is a crowded market and Best Buy hasn’t been able to fend off local rivals.
2. Get your Bitcoins
Last year, the U.S. government seized more than 150,000 bitcoins after it virtually “raided” and closed the Silk Road marketplace. Today, according to Bloomberg, 50,000 of those bitcoins will be up for auction. This is after an auction of 30,000 bitcoin earlier this year.
3. Fast food protestors rock again
Strikes and protests in favor of a $15 per hour minimum wage will hit the U.S. again today, with airport workers — including baggage handlers and aircraft cleaners — joining the fight for the first time. Cities participating in fast-food strikes for the first time today include Jackson, Miss., Knoxville, Tenn., and Buffalo, NY.
4. Jobs outlook
The latest jobs data, released Thursday, show U.S. jobless claims declined by 17,000 to 297,000 last week, falling back below 300,000. The data come out ahead of the monthly jobs report tomorrow from the Labor Department — a report that is closely watched by traders.
5. Bond. James Bond.
Get ready, shameless Anglophiles and men who live through fictional characters — the details of the new Bond film are out! The movie will be called “Spectre.” It will once again feature Daniel Craig as 007, while this movie will have two “Bond girls” for the price of one, with both Monica Bellucci and Lea Seydoux appearing. Get the invisible car ready.
