Investing.com - U.S. stock futures advanced on Tuesday, boosted by gains in energy stocks as investors awaited the results of a crucial parliamentary vote in Italy.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a rise of 0.43%, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.39% increase, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.62% gain.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s government was to face a crunch vote, which would test the prime ministers majority in parliament and determine if he has enough support to stay in power and implement austerity measures.
On Monday, Berlusconi denied speculation that he was planning to resign after Italy’s borrowing costs surged to euro-era highs.
The energy sector was broadly higher as shares in oil and gas giants Chevron Corp and Exxon Mobil jumped, while mining company 3M gained 0.49%.
Elsewhere, Hewlett-Packard surged 3.37% as it was looking to sell palm's webOS mobile software platform. The deal could reportedly result in a profit of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Other software companies were close behind, as Microsoft saw shares soar 2.10% and IBM posted a 0.50% gain.
Meanwhile, U.S. lenders were mixed. JP Morgan Chase and Citigroup rose 0.79% and 0.69% respectively, while shares in Bank of America fell 0.62%. Morgan Stanley saw shares climb 1.20%, although a group of investors has accused the firm of selling defective mortgage bonds in more than USD6 billion of trusts, signaling that it may face litigation over its involvement.
On the downside, Priceline dipped 0.85% after reporting third-quarter earnings of USD9.85 a share, excluding items, on sales of USD1.45 billion.
Other stocks in focus included Rockwell Automation, due to publish third-quarter results ahead of the opening bell.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were sharply higher. The EURO STOXX 50 jumped 1.74%, France’s CAC 40 climbed 1.62%, Germany's DAX advanced 1.50%, while Britain's FTSE 100 posted a 1.38% gain.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index climbed 0.5%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index dropped 1.3%.
Also Tuesday, finance ministers from the European Union member states were to meet in Brussels to discuss the region’s ongoing financial crisis.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a rise of 0.43%, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.39% increase, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.62% gain.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s government was to face a crunch vote, which would test the prime ministers majority in parliament and determine if he has enough support to stay in power and implement austerity measures.
On Monday, Berlusconi denied speculation that he was planning to resign after Italy’s borrowing costs surged to euro-era highs.
The energy sector was broadly higher as shares in oil and gas giants Chevron Corp and Exxon Mobil jumped, while mining company 3M gained 0.49%.
Elsewhere, Hewlett-Packard surged 3.37% as it was looking to sell palm's webOS mobile software platform. The deal could reportedly result in a profit of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Other software companies were close behind, as Microsoft saw shares soar 2.10% and IBM posted a 0.50% gain.
Meanwhile, U.S. lenders were mixed. JP Morgan Chase and Citigroup rose 0.79% and 0.69% respectively, while shares in Bank of America fell 0.62%. Morgan Stanley saw shares climb 1.20%, although a group of investors has accused the firm of selling defective mortgage bonds in more than USD6 billion of trusts, signaling that it may face litigation over its involvement.
On the downside, Priceline dipped 0.85% after reporting third-quarter earnings of USD9.85 a share, excluding items, on sales of USD1.45 billion.
Other stocks in focus included Rockwell Automation, due to publish third-quarter results ahead of the opening bell.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were sharply higher. The EURO STOXX 50 jumped 1.74%, France’s CAC 40 climbed 1.62%, Germany's DAX advanced 1.50%, while Britain's FTSE 100 posted a 1.38% gain.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index climbed 0.5%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index dropped 1.3%.
Also Tuesday, finance ministers from the European Union member states were to meet in Brussels to discuss the region’s ongoing financial crisis.