US pre-open: Stocks set for slightly higher start, Nvidia, geopolitics and rates in focus
Wall Street was set for a slightly higher start, helped by overnight gains in shares of chip-maker Nvidia.
Ahead of the start of the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show, the company unveiled its latest advances in AI agents, self-driving cars and robotics.
Geopolitics however were not far from investors' minds after the Pentagon added several well-known Chinese companies to its list of military enterprises.
As of 1342 BST, the Dow Jones mini futures contract was rising by 96 points to 43,078.0, alongside a 9.75 point gain for the equivalent contract on the S&P 500.
Nasdaq-100 mini futures meanwhile were little changed, trading up by 4.25 points at 21,748.75.
On the economic calendar for Tuesday, at 1500 BST, was the Institute for Supply Management's services sector Purchasing Managers' Index for the month of November.
In parallel, the Department of Labor would publish its JOLTS report on job openings and quits covering that same month.
Also of interest for market participants would be the result of the Treasury's auction of $39.0bn of 10-year notes at 1800 BST.
Earlier, Commerce reported that the US trade deficit widened from $73.6bn in October to $78.2bn for last month, which was basically in line with economists' forecasts.