10 things you need to know before the opening bell

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. The plan, however, could still crash and burn in the Senate before the Friday-night deadline.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 may have a negative impact on the performance of their phones, Reuters reports.Snap reportedly laid off about 24 people across 8 teams, mostly in the unit that curates users' videos. Some staff members have reportedly asked to be relocated to Los Angeles too.Business Insider spoke with one of Wall Street's best-performing portfolio managers last year, who revealed his investing secrets. His $199 million Fifth Avenue Growth Fund smashed 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 Decemberand Black Friday is to blame. UK retail sales dropped 1.5% in the month compared with 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.US economic data reports are due. The University of Michigan sentiment survey will be released at 10 a.m. ET. The US 10-year yield is up 3 basis points at 2.61%.SEE ALSO:Meet the unconventional portfolio manager who crushed Wall Street last year while barely watching the marketJoin the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: How the sale of Qdoba will impact Chipotle's future
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