Wall Street futures pointed moderately higher pre-bell Monday, as traders again waded into tech issues after weekend media reports on positive Q2 financial results from prominent AI modeler Anthropic.
In the futures, the S&P 500 rose 0.2%, the Nasdaq inclined 0.6%, but the Dow Jones was off 0.1%.
The VanEck Semiconductor fund (SMH) traded up 1.3% pre-bell.
West Texas Intermediate crude oil traded up 0.6% at $81.94 a barrel in morning hours.
On the earnings scene, retail behemoths Walmart (WMT), Target (TGT), Home Depot (HD), The TJX Companies (TJX), Lowe's (LOW), and Ross Stores (ROST) report results later this week.
The economic calendar ahead is relatively light, although minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest policy session will be released Wednesday. The S&P Global composite purchasing managers index (PMI) is slated for a Friday post.
Asian exchanges traded mostly higher overnight on strength in AI- and semiconductor-related issues, while European bourses inched north midday on the continent.
On the economic calendar is the Empire State Manufacturing Index for August at 8:30 am ET, followed by the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index for August at 10 am.
In pre-market action, Bitcoin traded at $63,390, and 10-year US Treasuries offered 4.69%. Spot gold commanded $4,397 an ounce.