yes. the hacking community has grown both in size and sophistication and the techniques they use which again, goes back to why it was so important we solve this problem. reporter: microsoft is one of a handful of companies pushing hard to scrap passwords. is onel of companies working hard to scrap pass words, the most vulnerable aspect of everyday cyber life. people trying to guess sophisticated computers are very easy to crack. reporter: in 2016, the most popular pattern found among data breachers was 123456. what s more, what are of tech users write their pass words down on paper, leaving an estimated 24 billion intelligent devices over the next two years expose. this is microsoft s envisioning cente
own stocks which are obviously highly concentrated amongst the wealthy, and interestingly enough, that s an effect that will be felt before tax. it will not be recorded as an effect of the tax bill. but it s an effect of the tax bill on the structure of the economy. right. this is an important point that david was making. before tax inequality and the inequality that the tax code either repairs or exacerbates and in this case, exacerbates. the point you make about buy-backs, history has shown in the united kingdom, canada and here in the united states that corporate tax cuts when companies end up with more of that money, if they distribute it, it s either distributed as dividends or it is used for stock buy-backs, which enrich the people who are already enriched. even the stock market gains we have seen, 18% higher this year, a small proportion of the economy gets most of the benefits from stock market gains. so this whole concept of all of these things trickling down just doesn t se
has had an upward year, the positive economic data has also helped, plus earnings have improved this year, so companies by an average are delivering bigger prospects. it s also working out that the prospect of tax reform which wall street has been excited about has also been part of the market rally. some analysts warn that tax reform may not be as positive for the u.s. economy as most companies are expected to spend the money they save from a lower tax rate on buying back their own stock versus spending it on employees. and that s where we ll have to see if president trump tries to exert pressure on businesses in terms of how to actually spend that money. also with the economy improving, the fed could very well hike interest rates multiple times next year, which means that your earnings or your savings increase, but also the cost of taking out a mortgage will go out. so that could potential be a risk for stocks in 2018. in terms of stocks or sectors, we are laser focused on
that s where we are seeing the heavy snowfalls and that s going to continue again for at least 24 hours. some areas could wind up with over five feet of snow. merry christmas to you. i grew up in toronto. we never got the lake-effect snow. buffalo always got it. people always thought it was a very snowy place. toronto was moderately snowy. you got the bitter cold temperatures. we got cold weather. but it was painful to drive through sections of buffalo. that s exactly what we are seeing and probably will through the midweek. then frigid temperatures make their way into the northeast before all it said and done. real cold. thanks very much. always a pleasure to see you. nice to see him when it s not a weather disaster. that s the only time dave and i spend time together. 2017 was a year that saw massive increases in data breaches and cyberattacks. now some computers companies are working to revolutionize one of the first layers of defense. the password.
technology. it s been an incredible year, up 40%, that s the technology sector, big names like facebook, netfl netflix, apples, it s market cap is expected to hit $2 billion in 2018. the billest companies in the world used to be industrials, they used to be pharmaceuticals and banks and tech companies. before we go, let s get a quick check on markets right now as we speak. we are looking at markets that are mostly lower across the board, but not by much, i would call that generally speaking flat. that s it for me, i will see you back here tonight, 11:00 p.m. eastern for brian williams tonight and i ll be back tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. eastern, and at 3:00 p.m. eastern. you re going to get tired of me. continuing coverage on msnbc with david geren. it is 4:00 in the east and