North American Morning Briefing : Nasdaq Futures Rise; Trade Relations, Earnings in Focus -2-

Futures for February delivery settled up 29% Monday on the New York Mercantile Exchange at $6.800 per million British thermal units after hitting an intraday high of $7.439. The contract, which expires Wednesday, last traded above $6 in 2014. March futures rose 8% to $3.898 per million Btu. Rapid Buildup of Chinese Military Fuels Corruption Scandals HONG KONG-Decades of spending increases have helped China build one of the world’s most substantial militaries, stirring fears that it could seize Taiwan or provoke a clash over territorial disputes with neighbors such as Japan or the Philippines. But the chief victim of the…