be found >> trying to find a lasting, peaceful solution to the different conflicts in the middle east, especially the conflict between israel and palestine. shares in ladbrokes soars. we'll speak to the gc vshv ceo a few minutes time. and bitcoin surges to over $14,000, a move that took it $2,000 higher in just over 24 hours. welcome to "street signs." i'm willem marx. the stoxx 600 is up slightly more green on the board than red. a lot of that being driven by the specific action in the markets across the continent let's look at the ftse it's up a quarter of a percent the xetra dax up a third of a percent. that's despite steinhoff, the furniture retailer dropping significantly in early trading the cac cin france up more than 0.5% the ftse mib in italy up around 0.3% let's look at the specific sectors driving some of this action travel and leisure the biggest winners so far, up 0.4 you can see autos trading quite strong on some of the news out of that sector telecoms and media some winners. it looks like most of the damage being done in retail i should think that's being driven quite significantly by what's happening with steinhoff. let's talk about that deal we mentioned in the headlines, shares of ladbrokes soared after talks with gvc over a merger worth 3.9 billion pounds the deal would create an online betting giant. it's the third attempt at a tie up between the two companies i'm happy to say we're joined by kenneth alexander, chief executive of gvc i have to ask you, third time the charm. what have you done differently this time? >> you know, we have been talking for -- off and on for quite some time. i think it is -- mainly because of the review, it's been difficult to get there on a deal but i think we got clever structure now in place to combat the review and i think we've finally got a joint announcibiliement today. >> one of the challenges when it comes to valuing companies like yours and ladbrokes is the regulatory uncertainty where have you come up with the specific number. where have you got this 3.9 billion from >> you know, we've offered the ladbrokes shareholders shares and cash, creating 60.9 pounds we think that's -- we will pay an additional sum to ladbrokes shareholders based on the outcome of the review. if it's a bad result , there wil be no further cash paid. if it's a more favorable result, we will pay a greater amount so i think the structure allows ladbrokes shareholders to get full value for their business and protects gbc shareholders from the impact of the review and allows us to kick on and get the deal done before the review is fully decided >> there are those watching who may not know a lot about your industry one challenge is avoiding regulatory risk. we've seen the uk government among others clamping down on specific betting products. is this deal about diversifying to the point where you don't have to worry about specific conditions like you're referencing there? >> 100%. i repeated on many occasions, a lot of people talk about a headwinds in this industry there's also great opportunities. if you want to exploit them, you need to have scale and you need to be diversified and you need to own your own technology you know, i think this deal gives ladbrokes coral more things that they don't have, diversification outside the uk and what the deal does for gvc is gives us access into markets in which we're not significant in, primarily the uk and australia. further scale, further diversification. yes, there will be headwinds, if you get scale and diversification and control your own technology and strong brands, good management teams, there's a lot of value to be created in the next few years. this deal will allow gc vshgsvc exploit them fully >> do you expect more consolidation in your industry >> that wouldn't surprise me that that would be further consolidation. the board of gvc have looked at a number of targets over the last 12 months ladbrokes coral ticks all the boxes for us you know, it was the unanimous number one target for us i'm delighted we can put a joint aflouncement out today and hopefully over the weeks and months to get the deal to complete it. >> members of parliament in the uk criticizing some of the gambling products out there. they see it as a social ill. are you comfortable getting rich in an industry that some people call a social ill? >> the industry has to be pro active and take social responsibility seriously gvc certainly does that. yes, there are some challenges in the uk, these are not challenges that we don't face in many other markets that gvc are in we take social responsibility seriously. we will -- at the same time we think we can create significant shareholder value and grow our business in the uk as well as being socially responsible >> mr. alexander, thank you very much william hill shares are rising after the book maker backed scientific gains as a proposed takeover of nyx. they said they would support the deal and sell the shares it owns for $1.87 a piece. president trump has formally recognized jerusalem as the capital of israel. in a speech at the white house yesterday afternoon, trump said he was "delivering on a major campaign promise." the president's decision has upset western and arab allies saying the decision could spark violence in a volatile region. hallie jackson has more. >> all challenges demand new approaches >> reporter: seven decades of u.s. policy changed in an instant. >> today we finally acknowledge the obvious, that jerusalem is israel's capital >> reporter: president trump will also move the u.s. embassy to jerusalem, which could take three or four years, and which puts the u.s. on an island every other country, more than 80 of them, with an embassy in israel has theirs in tel aviv. >> while previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. today i am delivering. >> reporter: there are reasons those other presidents changed their views. like widespread consensus and united nations policy that the fate of jerusalem should be one of the last decisions negotiated between israelis and palestinians, but this president made a promise -- >> we will move the american embassy. >> reporter: and he wants to make good on it. domestic politics at play here like a legal deadline and pressure from evangelical supporters leaving a little wiggle room, the president is not taking a position on the controversial question of whether or how jerusalem should be divided. and he says he's not ending u.s. support for a two-state solution but in reality, experts say, any solution looks exponentially more difficult now >> by giving this unilateral concession to the israels today and getting nothing for it, the president has weakened the american position and made it less likely that we'll get progress from the israelis at the negotiating table. >> reporter: as one of the world's most diplomatically difficult disputes now gets even more complicated hallie jackson, nbc news, the white house. equities are picking up in asia after technology suffered in the last session. stocks like tencent drove the index upwards. geoff and akiko are live for us. >> it's been a fascinating day here we started off with there imf news about warnings around the banking system, so we talked to a number of our guests about that just where the international business people at this event should be concerned around that story. most have said they're here for the bigger story, about being engaged with the chinese economy. of course noted and as you might expect the imf, i think, doing what the imf is meant to do, running up a bit of a red flag to remind people debt is a key story here it's technology as well that made a lot to of the running at this conference. >> we've seen big announcements coming out of here today ford announcing they would work closely with alibaba in four sectors which includes the cloud and the online retail sector some rumblings that perhaps ford could begin selling cars on alibaba's site as well there's no question that china and the leadership looked to use tech as a driver in the new phase in the economy you know there are questions here about how big these companies have become. we mentioned alibaba, tencent reaching the half trillion dollar mark a few weeks ago. we had a chance to speak with somebody who was an early believer in the china tech story, jerry yang, co-founder of yahoo! keep in mind it was back in 2005 he invested a billion into alibaba, a 40% stake that paid off in a big way we asked whether he thought the valuations were stepped too much today. take a listen to what he had to say. >> interest rates are so low around the world, monetary policies are such that there's a lot of money and liquidity chasing higher returns that has translated into the recent picture capital industry being very cash rich a lot of money sitting on the sidelines waiting to be invested what you see in the u.s., great companies commanding a very high valuation. and some poor companies -- companies not doing great have a hard time getting capital. the barbell effect in china, because there's robust investment from alibaba, tenc t tencent, they're putting a lot of money back into the startups to create their own ecosystems you can seeing valuations high across the board how long does that last? that remains to be seen. >> let's talk about bitcoin. the prices have jumped 1600% in the last year. pushing through $13,000. a lot of people have equated this to the early days of the internet it's a wild, wild west out there. i heard that repeatedly. is that a fair comparison? >> it's certainly -- i think there's a high volatility associated to it that was similar to the early days of the internet but in this case, i do think that bitcoin as a digital currency is not quite there yet. people are not using it to transact people are using it as an investable asset, trying to buy gold, gold bars, if you will personally i'm a believer in where digital currency can play a role in our society. especially in -- not only the front end of doing transactions but on the back end with a much more verifiable system for now it seems like it's more driven by the hype of, you know, sort of investing and getting a return rather than using it as a transaction currency >> that was jerry yang, co-founder of yahoo. he runs his own venture fund on the topic of the tech world, there's also discussions about the price of doing business here in china for a lot of the foreign tech companies like apple, the concerns about i.p., transferring i.p.as a result o business here. yesterday we heard from tim cook saying if you want to be here, you have to play by the rules. jerry yang sort of saying that, too. in china you have to be patient, play that game and work within the system >> but sometimes that game leads to a lot of heat back home tim cook, every time he tries to make progress in this marketplace, it just seems that the politicians back in the united states say that this is appeasement and giving in to the chinese. very tough line to walk at the moment for these tech entrepreneurs. we will wrap it up here for our coverage at the fortune global forum. but, you know what we're back here tomorrow with a full day of coverage make a point of coming back to see you tomorrow willem, back to you. >> thank you if you have any views yourself on chinese debt levels, the alibaba/ford partnership or tech evaluations, tweet the show at streetsignseurope@cnbc. german coalition talks will begin next week. we'll bring you the latest on the german political crisis after this break we know life can be hectic. that's why at xfinity we've been working hard to simplify your experiences with us. now with instant text and email updates you'll always be up to date. you can easily add premium channels so you don't miss your favorite show. and with just a single word, find all the answers you're looking for. because getting what you need should be simple, fast, and easy. download the xfinity my account app or go online today. martin schulz will face two tests later today when the spd congress begins in berlin. party leaders will decide on whether to have open ended talks and decide whether he can stay on as party leader annette is joining us from frankfurt. it's been ten weeks now, there's still no dance party >> for now, it doesn't seem as they were willing to give a lot of concessions to them just before those coalition talks will start i guess there will be some movement when it comes to social spending during the coalition talks. that's something the spd wants to increase. that's like their traditional pledge to increase social spending in order to level out inequality in germany. of course as well they will talk about refugee issues that's a critical point, i guess, during those potential coalition talks. for now those talks are still, like, not far away but still in a sort of distant future the social democrats today are discussing whether they actually will start those potential open-ended talks as they like to coin it. and also martin schulz will need to be re-elected as party leader so the talks might be difficult, also might drag on quite awhile. that was also one of the topics i tackled yesterday in an exclusive interview with the leading figure of the christian democrats, and i asked him what he thinks we will get a new government in germany and how those talks will actually go take a listen. >> we do have a government, a caretaker government that will be able to take any decision necessary. whatever might happen in the world or in europe we are able to act if you see the situation in germany, the citizens are unhappy about what's going on in berlin but they're quite okay with it that it takes a bit more time this time when will it end i hope we can start next week. first talks in a small group, party leaders, then there's christmas. we all should get some sleep and some time with family. everyone needs that. so i guess in january we will have the biggest part of the talks, of the negotiations then the spd wants to ask the members, two, three weeks, so i think it will be the end of february or march, it will be february or even march before we know that there's a new coalition for germany. or we know perhaps earlier that it doesn't work. but from today's point of view, i assume we will find a solution >> you were saying whoever will lead that government, we are all kind of working under the assumption or thinking that this will be once again angela merkel is there any reason to doubt that >> no. one thing is for sure, she will, angela merkel, will lead the next government. no matter if it is grand coalition again or perhaps a minority government. if the social democrats are not willing actually to compromise with us on the necessary issues like the question how do we remain a strong economic power, it's not about today, it's about the future actually. how to regain trust. if they're not willing to agree and compromise on these issues, then there can't be a grand coalition, but still we, as christian democratic party, we want to go on in this country. if necessary we do it as a minority government. that would be new for germany but it's time for new things >> let us look at one thing. martin schulz always said he doesn't want to serve as vice chancellor under angela merkel do you think there's room for him to retire and go somewhere else >> you should ask him, not me. he has made some turns from the past, to where he is now and to where he might be. that's up to him to answer that question >> there's no clear sense of urgency apparently in berlin to form a government. also germans seem to be quite relaxed about the fact there's no proper government in place, because the so-called caretaker government is still acting and they're also representatives sn brussels taking on negotiations. it seems like everything is pretty much not perfect, but at least in a workable state. having said that still, a new government is probably something which will be very difficult to reach, and those talks, which will be starting perhaps next week, they will also be difficult between both parties with that, back to you >> annette, thank you very much. i'm joined by an analyst from ts lombard. we heard no urgency among the c? he is facing this leadership test >> it's extremely unlikely he won't be re-elected. the question is what proportion of the delegates in congress does he get. in the spring he got elected by unanimously. if he gets 80% of the votes this time, it will be embarrassing essentially. if there are new elections, the spd will want to run a different candidate. what reasons would the spd not approve his plans to hold talks with merkel. >> in many ways merkel is a victim of her own success. she's had three times to govern, and every time her party suffered one of the complaints is the policies they go into coalition and all the vote winners get adopted by the cdu. the spd struggled in recent years, it's now at historic lows in september they will be reluctant to go into coalition again unless they can extract big concessions. >> you talked about policies, martin schulz laid out conditions for anytalks, and now the expansion of the refugee policy allowing family members to join those already in germany. do you think those conditions would be palatable to the cdu, but also the party in bavaria? >> i agree that those will be the big sticking points in the talks. the issue of money and investment shouldn't be that big of a deal. germany has a big fiscal cushion. they built up a budget surplus of about 30 billion pounds which gives them quite a lot of leeway for giveaways and for the investment spending the spd wants to see it may welcome down to refugees. the health insurance issue will be a big problem refugees may be the other big sticking point if they can't strike a deal on the grand coalition, the other option may well be a cdu minority government where merkel's party is not voted -- is allowed to form a government by the spd, but then they have to assemble ad hoc majorities on different issues >> it's been ten weeks since the government was formed, but shultz is slightly stuck between public pressure on one hand to get on with things and huge concerns amongst members of his own party about support levels of merkel, isn't he? >> yes, absolutely he's in a difficult position which is one reason why the path of least resistance might be to agree to support a minority government without having to commit to pardon themselves, they will still be able to claim they have done the responsible thing and have not left germany without a government >> i guess we'll get more clarity on saturday. christian frazier, thank you very much. now, coming up on the show, christmas lights have been turned off by palestinians in protests of president trump's decision to formally recognize jerusalem as the capital of israel we'll bring you the latest reaction on that story after the break. today we finally acknowledge the obvious, that jerusalem is israel's capital this is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality. president trump breaks with decades of policy, recognizing jerusalem as the capital of israel, sparking uproar among world leaders and protests in the region. nato joins the chorus of those concerned about the move, the general secretary telling cnbc that a solution needs to be found. >> nato allies strongly support trying to find a lasting peaceful solution to the different conflicts in the middle east, especially the conflict between israel and palestine. shares in ladbrokes soars. this after gvc makes a 3.9 billion pound bid for the firm with the view of creating a global betting giant. and bitcoin rises above 14,000 to a fresh record on a surge that has taken the cryptocurrency over $2,000 higher in just 24 hours. let's look at what's happening across the markets the u.s. markets, looking to be very slightly positive dow jones looking to have an implied open up 38 points. the nasdaq up 23 points. the s&p 500 up also after a mixed week the european markets, we can see the ftse maintaining that positive movement. up a quarter of a percent. the xetra dax in germany showing a lift of a third of a percent the same in france and the same in italy let's look at currencies as well this morning we can see the pound there is still down against the dollar as brexit uncertainty continues here in the united kingdom the euro also weakened against the dollar slightly. the dollar strengthening against the yen and the swiss franc as well president trump formally recognized jerusalem as the capital of israel by vowing to relocate the u.s. embassy from tel aviv in a speech yesterday afternoon, trump said he was delivering on a major campaign promise the president's decision has upset western ab rrab alleys wi many saying it could spark violence in a volatile region. mahmoud abbas dismissed the role of the u.s. as an intermediary for peace in the region. >> translator: these measures contribute deliberate constraints to all the efforts towards realizing peace and represents the united states withdrawal in its role as peace mediator it encourages the occupation policy, settlements, apartheid and ethnic cleansing. the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, hailed the move as a landmark decision. >> we're profoundly grateful for the president, for his courageous and just decision to recognize jerusalem as the capital of israel, and to prepare for the opening of the u.s. embassy here. this decision reflects the president's commitment to an ancient but enduring truth to fulfilling his promises, and to advancing peace. the president's did the is an important step towards peace for there is no peace that doesn't include jerusalem as the capital of the state of israel there will be no change whatsoever to the status quo with the holy sites. israel will always ensure freedom of worship for jews, christians and muslims alike president trump, thank you for today's historic decision to recognize jerusalem as israel's capital. >> it's worth noting that israel's military announced it will put additional troops on stand by in the west bank as protests increase. we're joined by angus blair of ferris investments six months ago president trump signed a waiver which meant he didn't have to make this announcement today this time around he decided to against the advice of his own defense and state secretaries in the u.s. i wonder, has he made a call that is in any way stra tetegicl helpful for the united states? >> not in the short-term the whole world knows the capital of israel is jerusalem all the embassies have been in tel aviv because of the issue of the status of jerusalem which is several decades old. it's an unusual timing, one wonders if president trump has done this to deflect attention away from other issues domestically or whatever the issue also is he's been building good relations with regional arab leaders. i think he's diminished that already in one day, all of the good work he's done in building rapport with those leaders it is unusual timing also i think that the work that was being done behind the scenes in thelignment of politics with regional leaders having good outreach to israel that also might have been damaged in the short-term, because the people now have to wait -- the leaders of the region have to wait to see what the reaction will be probably after friday prayers on friday the initial reaction is one of major disappointment with president trump. >> you're right. we'll bet a better understanding of the reaction of ordinary people after tomorrow. we heard from a number of political leaders across the middle east. you mentioned outreach how does this damage relationships with the leaders of turkey? >> it's one issue it will affect the street particularly because there's an incredible emotional feel towards jerusalem and the palestinians, which i have to say many leaders in the middle east have used at times for fermenting dissent or as an issue to deflect attention away from other issues over time. but in the last few years, the view on israel had begun to change i think that some of the work may be undone in trying to reach out. obviously behind the scenes there's adivide betwe divide be sunni of the middle east and iran has been deepening across the gulf and other arab countries we have to look at what this means short-term short-term there will be voices on the street. longer term what does it mean? in the end it will pass, but it might take another year or so before it diminishes >> arab leaders are caught in a bind, they have to continue publicly to support the palestinian position, the leadership under mahmoud abbas will be encouraging them to continue public criticism of this move. as you mentioned, they're trying to develop and maintain a relationship with a u.s. president who is notoriously thin skinned they're caught in a difficult public relations battle. >> it's difficult to call where sometimes president trump is coming from i find it an unusual position why he's done it. already most countries have consulates in jerusalem which were doing the work. it's an issue for him. many regional leaders will understand this. as i said, it takes away from and puts attention on something they would rather not have done. but the issue for palestinians for the average person on the street across the middle east is an incredible emotional one, not altogether rational. but in the end what does it mean it's a short-term issue but it might last for some months >> we're seeing a positive reaction from israel we heard from mr. netanyahu, he seems thrilled by the news what do you think this means for the peace process that the president's son-in-law, jared kushner, is supposedly leading the charge on? >> given my long-term view of the region, i have to say there's not really a peace process. in the end, what's going to happen is after some period there will be reengagement between israel behind the scenes and regional arab leaders with regard to iran and its aggressiveness across the region >> you think that will trump any issues of settlements on the west bank? >> i think the desire for peace exists everywhere, but it's a difficult situation. but the american position has now been compromised by being viewed as an independent player, which now it isn't it's compromised the position. then again the palestinian leadership have not been creative either by trying to forward the peace process. the peace process in itself is difficult because of the situation in gaza, 2 million people, in the west bank, damaged economy, no real contiguous geography from which one can have a state so it's quite difficult to determine what the next step is. but the desire for peace across the region is definitely there i think that perhaps the regional leaders might now look to other parties, perhaps europe, eu you mentioned damaged economies there. we talk about the politics at some length. when it comes to investment in the region, what is this increase on uncertainty? we have seen a few sporadic protests what does it do to investors looking to park their money in this part of the world >> in the long-term, not much. in short-term, you're adding to the geopolitical risk in the region which has been rising so it's difficult for regional players to raise much money. the debt markets are a bit easier, the returns can be good. the yield is good. the equity market being put off, and saudi aramco i don't think can fly in the short to medium term because of what's happening within saudi arabia never mind what's happening now on the issue from yesterday with the embassy move >> thank you very much angus blair from theros investments. any of these issues that might cause you to write in to us, please feel free to tweet us, streetsignseurope@cnbc or directly at willemmarks. nato proven its ability to adapt to an ever changing world. that's according to the nato secretary-general. he outlined some threats the organization faces >> we see a russia which has been willing to use military force against neighbors in ukraine, but also in georgia, and therefore nato has responded by implementing the biggest reinforcement of collected offense since the end of the cold war, with more troops in the eastern part of the alliance, battle groups in the baltic countries, poland, we are also stepping up efforts to strengthen our cyberdefenses so we're doing a lot in addition we see that nato allies are now investing more in defense after years of decline of defense spending. we have three years with increased defense spending across europe and canada so we are moving in the right direction. we're doing more but we need to continue to strengthen our deterrence, and we need to invest more in defense what do you consider to be the greatest threat to the nato alliance today what we see is much more instability. we see threats and challenges coming from many different directions at the same time. we see terrorism, instability into the south with isis in iraq, searya, the middle east, close to our borders nato is bordering iraq and syria, nato allies have played a key role in defeating isis we also see threats like, you know, north korea proliferation of nuclear weapons, and we see the threats almost experience every day in the cyberdomain we have to respond to many different challenges, many different threads at the same time, but nato has proven that we are able to adapted to when the world is changing. >> a cornucopia of threats what keeps you up at night >>eep when you're supposed to sleep. and then be focused when awake and during the working hours so i think that the good thing with nato is that we have proven over almost 70 years that we are able to change when the world is changing, to keep all our nations safe by standing together, based on the principle one for all, all for one as long as we do that, we are saf safe >> for more of his thoughts and other issues, head online to cnbc.com russian president vladimir putin has announced he'll seek another term as president in next year's election, despite increasing levels of voter apathy, polls suggested that putin will comfortably win this would extend his dominance of russian politics into a third tech cade. his high profile opponent is barred from participating in the election she doesn't have much to cheer about at the moment, but theresa may has joined the christmas festivities outside number 10 downing street in london the holiday cheer, the holiday jolly comes after a few difficult days for the prime minister as a standoff with northern ireland over brexit talks continues. michel barnier told member states that the british government has 48 hours to agree on a potential deal or negotiations won't move on to the next stage. in australia, same-sex marriage will become legal after the house of representatives there approved a historic bill the decision prompted cheers and singing from a packed parliamentary gallery. earlier this year australians overwhelmingly approved same-sex marriage in a postal survey. bitcoin touches another record as it surges above $14,000. more on the cryptocurrency's rise after the break ♪ the moment a fish is pulled out from the water, it's a race against time. and keeping it in the right conditions is the best way to get that fish to your plate safely. sometimes the product arrives and the cold chain has been interrupted, and we need to be able to identify where in the cold chain that occurred. we took our world class network and we developed devices to track environmental conditions. this device allows people to understand what's happening with the location, but also if it's too hot, if it's too cold, if it's been dropped... it's completely unique. if you have a 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has medium of exchange value without bringing into the analysis the fact that sometimes people are a little bewildered it is not a rational currency in that sense but that does not mean it will not trade, because as long as people believe they can sell it to somebody else or unload it on somebody else, that's all you need to create a market. speaking to our colleagues in china earlier today, yahoo co-founder jerry yang said bitcoin had some way to go >> there's a high volatility associated to it that was similar to the early days of the internet in this case i do think bitcoin as a digital currency is not quite there yet. people are not using it to transact people are using it as an investable asset they're trying to buy gold bars, if you will. personally i'm a believer in where digital currency can play a role in our society. especially in -- not only the front end of doing transactions but on the back end with a much more efficient system and aen more verifiable system for now it seems like it's more driven by the hype of, you know, sort of investing and getting a return rather than using it as a transaction currency >> a cryptocurrency marketplace called nice hash says a hacker stole nearly $64 million worth of bitcoin it says it was the victim of a highly professional attack with sophisticated social engineering. it says about 4,700 boynes were tak bitcoins were taken during the breach bob iger will stay on if there was a deal between fox and disney disney closed yesterday 1.6% lower in response to the latest news on the deal talks lululemon shares surged in extended trade after the company posted better-than-expected earnings and raised guidance same-store sales grew 8% in the third quarter fueled by a 26% rise in online purchases the retailer said the holiday season was off to a strong start following record sales on black friday and cybermonday tune in for an exclusive interview with the ceo of lululemon at 3:30 p.m. central european time. city is bracing itself for $20 billion hit from the proposed tax plan should it become law the bank's cfo said it would have to write off about $17 billion worth of deferred tax assets and pay $3 billion on money held overseas. analysts say the mesh hasures cd boost the bank's earnings over the longer term. president trump told reporters on wednesday he doesn't see why the u.s. economy can't achieve 6% of gdp growth to put that in context, the last time the american economy hit a 6% growth rate was in 1984 i don't remember that. federal reserve officials and mainstream economists expected growth to remain at just 2%. more than 30 senate democrats are calling for minnesota senator al franken to resign amid a series of accusations of sexual misconduct yesterday a radio station reported that franken would step down, but his office tweeted the story was inaccurate saying senator trafficen was sti efran talking with his family and would make an announcement today. we are just a few days away from the alabama special election what could franken's resignation mean for the balance of power in the u.s. senate as president trump looks for these ledge l e legislative wins many. >> >> reporter: it's interesting because the balance of power is so tight right now the franken race probably won't tip the balance of power, or the franken seat won't probably tip the balance of power even if the democrat resigns, the governor said he hopes franken will resign, he's already got two other democrats in mind to replace him temporarily. alabama, now that's a different story. roy moore, that seat could go from republican to democrat if doug jones wins this race in just a few days. that would put republicans with only a one-vote margin of majority here. we can see how things have been tough with two votes, not always republicans on board with things like taxes and the budget. this would make things tighter i was looking this morning at the latest polls coming out of alabama, it looks like roy moore in many of the polls in the last week or so has been holding on to a majority. some polls show the democrat, doug jones w a majority. they're back and forth but it's skewing in favor of moore. we'll know in a few days >> thank you very much tracie potts in washington for us. headlines coming to us now from president macron of france. he said contracts signed with qatar on thursday worth a total of 12 billion euros. macron will speak -- he is speaking now at a joint press conference in qatar. those are clearly focused on the french aircraft manufacturer, dassault a bit of a spike for dassault. >> a saudi prince has been revealed as the buyer of da vinci's salvatore mundi let's look at some u.s. futures now ahead of the open. we can see that the dow jones is looking to open 38 points up the same for the nasdaq, 23 points up. positive open for them as well as the s&p 500 after a very, very mixed week so far on wall street so a lot to watch there in the states as we start the trading over there that is pretty much it for our show here in europe. i am willem marx my colleagues at cnbc across the atlantic have "worldwide exchange" coming up. my friend susie cracks me up. but one laugh, and hello sensitive bladder. ring a bell? then you have to try always discreet. i didn't think protection this thin could work. but the super absorbent core turns liquid to gel. for incredible protection... ...that's surprisingly thin. so it's out of sight... ...and out of mind. always discreet. for bladder leaks. also in liners. wall street pointing to a higher open, driven by a rebound in asia. we're live in singapore with the latest. out of control, thousands flee their homes in southern california as massive wildfires intensify. a live report from the front lines coming up. another day, another record for bitcoin. the digital currency soaring past $14,000, less than 24 hours after crossing past 12,000 it's december 7, 2017, "worldwide exchange" begins right now. ♪