US stock futures remained steady as Wall Street's major indexes hit record highs, buoyed by optimism over a possible interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve (Fed) and progress in US-China trade talks.
The S&P 500 rose 0.1% to 6,914.50, the Dow Jones added 0.1% to 47,749.0, while the tech-focused Nasdaq rose 0.2% to 26,008.75.
The gains were supported by broad-based buying across sectors, led by technology and consumer discretionary stocks, as investors braced for a crucial week of central bank decisions and major corporate events.
Market focus now shifts to the Fed's two-day policy meeting starting on Wednesday at 9:00 pm Malaysia time, with the central bank widely expected to cut interest rates by 25 basis points.
The move would be the second rate cut this year, bringing the federal funds rate to a range of 3.75% to 4.00%.
Confidence in the cut rose after the September Consumer Price Index (CPI) report came in lower than expected.
Investor sentiment was also bolstered by signs that US-China trade tensions are easing after talks in Kuala Lumpur, paving the way for a new framework agreement.
The deal is expected to be finalized when US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet this weekend.
The meeting between the two leaders is likely to include discussions on the partial rollback of existing tariffs and easing restrictions on rare earth exports.
Meanwhile, Qualcomm shares rose more than 11%, boosting the overall chip sector after launching new artificial intelligence (AI) chips in a bid to compete with market leaders such as Nvidia and AMD.
