S&P 500 futures rose slightly Wednesday as investors turned their focus to March's highly anticipated inflation report.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials gained 81 points, or 0.2%, at 33,933.
Futures for the S&P 500 added 6.75 points, or 0.2%, to 4,143.25.
Futures for the NASDAQ Composite inched up 2.5 points to 13,077.25.
Later in the week, the health of the U.S. economy and consumer will be put to the test as first-quarter earnings season kicks into full gear. Banking behemoths JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Citigroup are on deck, as well as health-care giant UnitedHealth
The March consumer price index is slated for release at 8:30 a.m. ET. Economists polled by Dow Jones predict that CPI rose by 0.2% in March, compared to a 0.4% gain in February.
The report could impact the Federal Reserve's rate decision come May. It may also cement the case for a stop to the central bank's rate-hiking regime.
Minutes from the Federal Reserve's March policy meeting are also due out Wednesday, and slated to offer further clues into the mindset behind the central bank's 25-basis-point hike in the wake of Silicon Valley Bank's collapse and the turmoil that rattled the broader banking sector.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 gained 0.6% Wednesday, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng toppled 0.9%.
Oil prices sank three cents to $81.50 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices picked up $5.30 to $2,024.30 U.S. an ounce.