Dow futures briefly gained 100 points, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures pointed to a strong open on Wednesday after oil prices recovered from Tuesday session’s fall.
London-traded Brent crude soared above $40 per barrel again on Wednesday after tumbling in the previous session.
U.S. crude futures also rose above at $37 per barrel, up 78 cents from the previous day’s close.
In Europe, equities traded marginally higher despite the weak performance of Asian stocks as market players anticipated the European Central Bank’s (ECB) decision on Thursday on the possibility of additional cuts in the deposit rate as well as further extension to the quantity and period of asset purchases.
Investors are hoping that Mario Draghi, ECB president, will be able to persuade the bank’s policymakers to adopt further monetary easing measures in their meeting this week.
In Asia, stock markets were mixed Wednesday, with Chinese shares falling, as worries over China’s economy were revived following the release of lower-than-expected trade data.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index and Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average were also down, finishing 0.1% and 0.8% lower on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s Kospi tacked on 0.35%, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 1%.