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Stocks rose in trading on Monday to mark the third straight day of gains.

All three major US stock indexes rose well into the green, but still have not quite made up all of the losses from Wednesday's drop-off.

We've got all the headlines, but first, the scoreboard:

• Dow: 20,904.85, +99.24, (+0.48%)
• S&P 500: 2,394.18, +12.63, (+0.52%)
• Nasdaq: 6,134.45, +50.36, (+0.83%)
• US 10-year yield: 2.254%, +0.009
• WTI crude oil: $50.81, +0.48, +0.95%

1. Ford CEO Mark Fields is leaving the automaker. The move, which was confirmed by Ford after early reports, comes just three years after Fields took over the company as CEO. Fields' replacement, James Hackett, is the chairman of the Ford unit that works on autonomous vehicles.
2. The US and Saudi Arabia minted a $110 billion defense deal. The deal, signed Sunday, would provide the Saudis with various defense equipment including missile defense systems and cybersecurity capabilities. The Saudis also signed contracts with other US companies like Boeing and private equity giant Blackstone.
3. Bitcoin soared. The cryptocurrency blew through $2,000, $2,1000, and $2,200 a coin in trading on Monday, setting a new all-time high.
4. President Donald Trump is set to release his fiscal year 2018 budget. The budget is expected to feature heavy cuts to domestic spending in favor of build ups in defense and security. The budget proposal is likely to set up a major battle in Congress.
5. The Trump administration is saving a key part of Obamacare — for now. The administration and Congress filed to delay an update on their case over Obamacare's cost sharing reduction (CSR) payments. Health policy experts say that removing the payments would cause insurers to jack up premiums and exit the Obamacare insurance markets at a rapid pace.

Additionally:

Traders just got a sign the stock market rally has a long way to go

The Fed's actions speak louder than its words, which is why bond buying is here to stay

Trump could get 'beamed into space' and stocks would be just fine

The carnage in retail is good news, but only if you know where to look

RBC: Here's how Apple becomes a $1 trillion company

SEE ALSO: Here are 200 Excel shortcuts that'll make your life a lot easier

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NOW WATCH: Yale history professor: Trump's path to tyranny is unfolding

BitPay is expanding its prepaid bitcoin card offerings to more than 100 new countries. Unveiled today by BitPay chief commercial officer Sonny Singh at Consensus 2017, the Visa-branded offering enables users to top up BitPay Cards with cryptocurrency, which can then be spent as euros, British pounds or US dollars at merchants around the globe. […]

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As a small-business owner, you sometimes have to get creative with your funds. One way to do that is to be smart about how you redeem your rewards points from your business credit card.

"Some small-business owners are just focused on their day-to-day [operations]," says Ariana Arghandewal, who blogs at PointChaser. "They don't even think about using their credit cards to earn valuable rewards. But there are a lot of great things you can do with them."

Being resourceful about credit card rewards can pay off. Mark Isreal, the founder of Doughnut Plant in New York City, used points from his Chase Ink Business credit card to jump-start the production of the Ripple, a buzzworthy new doughnut.

While your business may not be launching a new viral product, there are plenty of interesting ways to redeem your credit card rewards points — beyond getting cash back — to invest back into your business.

Here are five ideas for using your credit card rewards points:

1. Invest in the future.

Small-business owners always have to be one step ahead to keep things running smoothly — while also thinking about a growth strategy. But all of that comes at a price, of course.

This is another area where using your business credit card can pay off. Your credit card rewards points can be used to fund projects, such as research and development, that can propel the business forward. Or you can use them to upgrade office technology and other supplies.

For business owners, every cent counts. Turning your credit card rewards into cash and investing that cash in future projects is a no-brainer.

2. Extend your business trip into a weekend getaway.

You've been working extra hard this quarter and need to take a breather. One way to reward yourself is to extend a standard business trip into a weekend of sightseeing and relaxation.

With the Chase Ink Business Preferred card, you can earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first three months — which is $1,000 in travel rewards.

3. Thank your employees for their work.

If your employees have been putting in long hours and seem overstretched, consider giving them an incentive to keep up the good work. You can redeem credit card rewards points for gift cards, which are an easy, convenient, and valuable way to make employees feel recognized and appreciated.

It's even better if you can personalize the gift card to their hobbies or shopping preferences. For example, if your programmer has been talking about an upcoming camping trip, a gift card for outdoor gear and supplies would be perfect.

4. Take clients out to coffee, lunch, or dinner.

Every now and then, you have to "wine and dine" clients, but that can take a toll on your limited funds.

Fortunately, you can redeem your credit card rewards points for gift cards to select restaurants and cafes. Before meeting a client, redeem your points for a gift card through the Chase Ultimate Rewards^®. You could even buy a few and carry them around in case any last-minute meetings pop up.

5. Make your employees' commute better.

If your employees have to travel for business — including hustling around town to close deals and attend networking events — you can make their trips a little easier.

With the Chase Ink Business Preferred card, you can use your credit card rewards points to purchase Uber gift cards to pass on to your employees. This gives them the option of taking an Uber to important business meetings and events, which can cut down on their overall commute and help them be more efficient during business trips.

"Small-business owners should take a step back and think about how to get the most value out of their points," says Jason Steele, a credit-card expert and contributor to "The Points Guy" blog. "Don't always do the simple thing and redeem them the same way every time."

Regardless of how you use your points, it's better to do something than nothing.

"A lot of business owners don't know the balance of their credit card rewards," Arghandewal says. "If you're not managing your rewards, you might be passing up opportunities."

Explore how the Chase Ink Business Preferred card can help your business.

This post is sponsored by Chase Ink Business Preferred.

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BitPay's chief executive made the case for a fork at the bitcoin scaling discussion panel at CoinDesk’s Consensus 2017 conference. The two-year debate has centered on the size of transaction blocks on the bitcoin network, passing through a few phases with varying proposals to increase the throughput of the system. Most recently, investment firm Digital Currency Group advanced a proposal that […]

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Bitcoin is seemingly unstoppable right now.

The cryptocurrency topped both $2,000 and $2,100 for the first time on Sunday night/Monday morning. It's now trading up $106.11, or 5.2%, at $2130.69 a coin.

Monday's advance has been fueled by further weakness in the US dollar, and news that Peach has become Japan's first airline to accept the cryptocurrency, Bloomberg says.

Bitcoin has gained in 24 of the past 27 sessions, and is up more than 82% over that time. According to CoinMarketCap.com, bitcoin now has a market cap of nearly $35.9 billion. 

The rally has seemingly been sparked by news out of Japan at the beginning of April that bitcoin is now considered a legal payment method in the country. Along the way, Ulmart, Russia's largest online retailer, said it would begin accepting bitcoin even though Russia said it wouldn't explore the cryptocurrency until 2018.

The gains also seem to be boosted by speculation the US Securities and Exchange Commission could overturn its ruling on the Winklevoss twins' bitcoin exchange-traded fund. The SEC was accepting public comment on its decision until May 15, but hasn't yet announced whether it will overturn its rejection of the ETF.

Bitcoin has gained 125% this year. Except for 2014, it has been the top-performing currency every year since 2010.

SEE ALSO: The price of Bitcoin just hit an all new high — here's how easy it is to buy your first one

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Here is what you need to know.

Oil nears $51. West Texas Intermediate crude oil is higher by 0.7% at $50.70 a barrel ahead of OPEC's Thursday meeting in Vienna.

Bitcoin explodes past $2,100. The cryptocurrency trades up by $202, or 10.4%, at $2,140 a coin. It's up by 125% this year.

Japan's trade surplus shrinks. Japan's trade surplus narrowed to 481.7 billion yen in April as exports to China rose by 14.8% versus a year ago.

S&P is sounding the alarm on Australian financial institutions. The ratings agency downgraded 21 Australian financial institutions, citing the risk of a sharp drop in property prices.

Clariant and Hunstman are merging. The two chemical companies are joining forces in a deal that values the combined entity at about $20 billion including debt, Reuters says.

Ford is reportedly firing its CEO. Mark Fields is reportedly out as CEO because of the recent performance of the company's stock, and he will be replaced by James Hackett, the chairman of the Ford unit that works on autonomous vehicles, Forbes and The New York Times say. Ford shares have tumbled by almost 40% since Fields took the helm at Ford more than three years ago.

Italian regulators have seized documents from IBM. Authorities have seized documents from IBM as part of their investigation into allegations of fraud against one of its customers, BT Italy, Reuters says, citing sources. IBM is not under investigation.

Stock markets around the world are higher. Hong Kong's Hang Seng (+0.9%) led the gains in Asia, and Britain's FTSE (+0.4%) paces the advance in Europe. The S&P 500 is set to open little changed near 2,380.

Earnings reporting is light. Agilent and Nordson will be releasing their quarterly results after markets close.

Fed speak is heavy. Patrick Harker, Neel Kashkari, Lael Brainard, and Charles Evans will all be taking the mic Monday.

Join the conversation about this story »

Here is what you need to know. 

Oil nears $51. West Texas Intermediate crude oil is higher by 0.7% at $50.70 a barrel ahead of OPEC's May 25 meeting in Vienna.

Bitcoin explodes past $2,100. The cryptocurrency trades up $202, or 10.4%, at $2,140 a coin. It's up 125% so far in 2017. 

Japan's trade surplus shrinks. Japan's trade surplus narrowed to 481.7 billion yen in April as exports to China rose 14.8% versus a year ago. 

S&P is sounding the alarm on Australian financial institutions. The ratings agency downgraded 21 Australian financial institutions, citing the risk of a sharp drop in property prices. 

Clariant and Hunstman are merging. The two chemical companies are joining forces in a deal that values the combined entity at about $20 billion including debt, Reuters says. 

Ford is reportedly firing its CEO. Mark Fields is reportedly out as CEO due to the recent performance of the company's stock, and will be replaced by James Hackett, chairman of the Ford unit that works on autonomous vehicles, Forbes and the New York Times say. Ford shares have tumbled almost 40% since Fields took the helm at Ford more than three years ago.

Italian regulators have seized documents from IBM. Authorities have seized documents from IBM as part of their investigation into allegations of fraud against one of its customers, BT Italy, Reuters says, citing sources. IBM is not under investigation. 

Stock markets around the world are higher. Hong Kong's Hang Seng (+0.9%) led the gains in Asia and Britain's FTSE (+0.4%) paces the advance in Europe. The S&P 500 is set to open little changed near 2,380.

Earnings reporting is light. Agilent and Nordson will be releasing their quarterly results after markets close. 

Fed speak is heavy. Patrick Harker, Neel Kashkari, Lael Brainard, and Charles Evans will all be taking the mic on Monday. 

Join the conversation about this story »

On May 22, 2010, a developer bought two pizzas for 10,000 units of a then-little-known digital currency called Bitcoin.

Today, those 10,000 bitcoins are worth more than $20 million (£15.4 million).

Bitcoin is going absolutely nuclear now. Its price is tearing upwards, with each bitcoin currently worth $2,128 (£1,638) — a little shy of all-time-high of $2,185 (£1,682), earlier this morning.

Just a year ago, it was trading at just $443 (£341), after deflating from what was then seen as the giddy highs of around $1,100 (£847) in late 2013. It has since embarked on an epic bull run.

"The Japanese have caught the Bitcoin bug and inefficiencies across markets are being exposed," CryptoCompare founder Charles Hayter said in an emailed comment. "Irrational exuberance is taking hold as the Japanese stumble over each other to enter the Bitcoin market and drag up international prices."

The digital currency has come a long way since 2010, when the purchase of the two Papa Johns pizzas by Laszlo Hanyecz from another bitcoin enthusiast marked what is believed to be the first "real-world" bitcoin transaction.

He posted on the Bitcoin Talk forum on May 22, 2010, writing (emphasis ours):

"I'll pay 10,000 bitcoins for a couple of pizzas.. like maybe 2 large ones so I have some left over for the next day. I like having left over pizza to nibble on later. You can make the pizza yourself and bring it to my house or order it for me from a delivery place, but what I'm aiming for is getting food delivered in exchange for bitcoins where I don't have to order or prepare it myself, kind of like ordering a 'breakfast platter' at a hotel or something, they just bring you something to eat and you're happy!

"I like things like onions, peppers, sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes, pepperoni, etc.. just standard stuff no weird fish topping or anything like that. I also like regular cheese pizzas which may be cheaper to prepare or otherwise acquire.

"If you're interested please let me know and we can work out a deal."

10,000 coins were then worth around $40 (£30). A British user agreed to buy the pizza for him, and even at the time the buyer got a good deal out of it: They only paid $25 (£19) for the two pizzas.

The date is a marked on an annual basis by Bitcoin users as "Bitcoin Pizza Day."

Today, those 10,000 bitcoins are worth around $20,500,000 (£15,800,000).

"It wasn't like Bitcoins had any value back then, so the idea of trading them for a pizza was incredibly cool," Hanyecz told The New York Times in 2013. "No one knew it was going to get so big."

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NOW WATCH: Chinese inventors show off the gladiator robot they want to use to challenge the US' 'Megabot'

Skandiabanken customers can now link bitcoin holdings to bank accounts, a signal cryptocurrency is finding its place in the broader fintech arena.

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