Stock futures rose Wednesday, the first day of March, as traders tried to recover their footing following a losing month.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials gained 49 points, or 0.2%, early Wednesday to 32,732.
Futures for the S&P 500 picked up 5.5 points, or 0.1%, to 3,981.25.
Futures for the NASDAQ Composite progressed 27.25 points, or 0.2%, to 12,099.50.
Sentiment got a boost after the release of much stronger-than-expected data out of China. The country's National Bureau of Statistics said its official manufacturing PMI rose to 52.6 in February — a high not seen since April 2012.
Shares of Rivian tumbled more than 9% after the company posted mixed fourth-quarter results and an underwhelming production outlook.
Sarepta Therapeutics soared by 17% after Morgan Stanley upgraded Sarepta shares to overweight from equal weight.
Novavax shares dropped 25.4% in early morning trading after the vaccine developer said that “substantial doubt exists regarding our ability to operate as a going concern” through the next year.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index gained 0.3%, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng popped 4.2%.
Oil prices dropped 46 cents to $76.59 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices jumped $8.30 to $1,845.00 U.S. an ounce.