Stock futures ticked higher Tuesday morning as investors looked ahead to key inflation data that may signal what the Federal Reserve will do at its March meeting.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials gained 37 points, or 0.1%, early Tuesday to 34,305.
Futures for the S&P 500 picked up 9.25 points, or 0.2%, to 4,156.25.
Futures for the NASDAQ Composite progressed 40 points, or 0.3%, to 12,580.50.
Beyond the CPI, investors will also be watching for earnings from Restaurant Brands International and Airbnb for insights into the health of the consumer. Shares of Coca-Cola rose after the company beat Wall Street expectations for fourth-quarter revenue.
Investors were largely positioning ahead of the consumer price index reading for January.
Economists polled by Dow Jones expected CPI rose 0.4% from December, and climbed 6.2% compared to the prior year. Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, is expected to rise 0.3% from the prior month and 5.5% on the year.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index gained 0.6%, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng eased back 0.2%.
Oil prices dipped $1.14 to $79.00 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices jumped $5.40 to $1,868.90 U.S. an ounce.