U.S. shares were set to drift higher in early trading Monday, with Dow futures rising 0.2% to 44,507.00 and S&P 500 futures gaining 0.3% to 6,067.50, the Associated Press reports.
Markets are also watching for the latest earnings reports.
Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Corp. both report earnings on Thursday, as speculation grows their talks to set up a joint holding company may unravel. Japanese media reports, all citing unidentified sources, sent both stocks gyrating over the past week. Honda finished down 0.9% Monday, while Nissan declined 0.8%.
In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude added 40 cents to $71.40 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 41 cents to $75.07 per barrel.
In currency trading, the U.S. dollar rose to 152.41 Japanese yen from 151.39 yen.
