It was better to get money selling the territory to a neutral country than getting it stolen by an enemy. Purchase of Alaska, 1867. Russia offered to sell Alaska to the United States in 1859, believing the United States would off-set the designs of Russiaâs greatest rival in the Pacific, Great Britain.
The value of the Dow futures is often quoted before the stock market opens as an indicator of how the market will react during the trading day. Trading Dow futures is one way traders attempt to profit from the value changes of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Even investors who don't trade futures can use the Dow futures as a forecasting tool.
Oil futures are derivative securities that give the holder the right to purchase oil at a specified price (similar to how stock options work). If you exercise your future by the settlement date, you can purchase oil (crude oil futures trade in units of 1,000 barrels) at the price stated in the futures contract.