A daily morning look at the financial stories you need to know to start the day.
STOCKS/ECONOMY
-Stock futures are higher to begin the first day of trading for 2018.
-Gold is near a 3-month high at the $1,313 per ounce level.
OIL/ENERGY
-U.S. crude prices are flat and holding at the $60 a barrel level. Unrest in Iran is the "x-factor" in energy trading now. Gasoline prices are at $2.48 a gallon, national average. That's 4 cents more per gallon than a week ago today.