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.
Dow Futures begin trading on the Chicago Board of Trade at 7:20 a.m. Central Time. Because the Dow Futures trade a full hour and ten minutes before the stock market opens, the investment community and financial reporters get a sense of the general market sentiment. If the Dow Futures are trading lower, chances are the stock market will open lower. The opposite is true if the Dow Futures trade higher before the market opens.