Wall Street futures were mixed pre-bell Wednesday, as tech sector optimism more than offset concerns regarding crude prices, Persian Gulf turmoil, and the still-closed Strait of Hormuz.
Chip colossus Nvidia (NVDA) rose 1.8% in premarket moves after media reports that CEO Jensen Huang has joined President Donald Trump's trip to China, and may also meet with China leader Xi Jinping.
In the futures, the S&P 500 rose 0.2%, and the Nasdaq inclined 0.7%, although the Dow Jones was off 0.3%.
Traders also await the April producer price index (PPI) bulletin at 8:30 am ET in Washington, to be plumbed for clues to the impact of higher oil bills on manufacturers and others.
West Texas Intermediate crude oil traded near $102.18 a barrel, largely unchanged in morning action.
Asian exchanges traded mostly higher overnight, with fresh all-time zeniths struck on equity indices in Seoul and Tokyo. European bourses tracked moderately north midday on the continent.
On the economic calendar, in addition to the PPI release, is the weekly EIA petroleum status report at 10:30 am ET.
Federal Reserve Boston President Susan Collins, Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari and Dallas President Lorie Logan are slated to speak on Wednesday.
In premarket action, Bitcoin traded at $81,084, and 10-year US Treasuries offered 4.46%. Spot gold commanded $4,699 an ounce.