U.S. stock futures moved higher early Monday as markets indicated a rebound from a losing week. Investors were optimistic as the COVID-19 vaccine rollout began and Washington appeared a bit closer to hatching some sort of stimulus this week.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials popped 258 points, or 0.9%, at 30,193.
Futures for the S&P 500 added 30 points, or 0.8%, at 3,683.50.
Futures for the NASDAQ Composite climbed 79.25 points, or 0.6%, to 12,447.50.
A bipartisan stimulus plan could be introduced in Congress as soon as Monday, but split into two parts in order to improve its chances of approval.
The $908-billion bipartisan plan would be split into a $748 billion measure with money for jobless and small business and another part that includes the controversial measures including liability protections and state aid.
Following the Food and Drug Administration's emergency authorization of Pfizer's vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Director Robert Redfield signed off on the drug, allowing inoculations to officially move forward for people ages 16 or older.
The U.S. has begun to ship the doses from a Pfizer facility in Michigan to hundreds of distribution centers across the country. The FDA is also slated to publish its assessment on Moderna's vaccine this week.
Shares of stocks that stand to benefit the most from a vaccine and economic aid led the gains on Monday in early trading. Carnival rose 5% in pre-market trading. American Airlines gained 3%.
The COVID-19 vaccine is being rolled out amid some of the darkest days of the pandemic in the U.S. More than 2,300 coronavirus related deaths were recorded Saturday, following over 3,300 deaths Friday. New infections continue to explode, with more than 219,000 cases reported on Saturday.
The Fed kicks off its two-day policy meeting on Tuesday, the central bank's final meeting of 2020. Economists have speculated that the Fed could make changes to its bond program. The Fed is currently buying at least $80 billion a month of Treasurys, and Fed officials have discussed what they could do to change that program at their last meeting.
Overseas, in Japan, the Nikkei 225 tacked on 0.3% Monday, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index fell 0.4%.
Oil prices gained 48 cents to $47.05 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices dipped $14.90 at $1,828.70 U.S.