Dow Jones Industrial Average futures gained on Thursday as traders weighed a potential big economic stimulus package and more good vaccine news versus pressure from rising rates and political turmoil. Futures on the broader market were flat.
Futures for the 30-stock index gathered 92 points, or 0.3%, to 31,051
Futures for the S&P 500 advanced 5.25 points, or 0.1%, at 3,809.
Futures for the NASDAQ Composite shed 1.25 points to 12,971.
President-elect Joe Biden is expected on Thursday evening to unveil a stimulus plan that will include a boost to the recent $600 direct payments, an extension of increased unemployment insurance and support for state and local governments. Some media outlets say the stimulus could be as big as $2 trillion.
Trial data published on Wednesday showed that Johnson & Johnson's one-dose coronavirus vaccine is safe and generates a promising immune response.
On Wednesday, the S&P 500 and NASDAQ gained 0.2% and 0.4%, respectively. The Dow, meanwhile, closed flat. The market held up even as as House members voted to impeach President Donald Trump for a second time — making him the first U.S. president ever to be impeached twice — as a bipartisan majority charged him with inciting a riot in the U.S. Capitol last week.
Overseas, in Japan, the Nikkei 225 climbed 0.9%, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index also jumped 0.9%.
Oil prices dipped 30 cents to $52.61 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices slipped $12.60 at $1,842.30 U.S.