US shares are poised for a higher open on what promises to be a busy day as earnings season reaches full swing.
A clutch of big name firms will post numbers today, including General Motors (NYSE:GM), Boeing, while American Express (NYSE:AXP) will report after the closing bell in New York.
On Tuesday, stocks struggled for direction as global indices also felt the negatives, with the German DAX down 18 points and Frances CAC-40 down 34 points.
In the US, the benchmark Dow closed 14 points lower, at 17,217, while the tech heavy Nasdaq lost 24 at 4,881 and the S&P500 lost three points at 2,031.
In futures trading, the Dow is up 55 on Wednesday, while the Nasdaq is trading around 15 points higher and the S&P500 is up almost 8 points, or 0.38%.
Looking ahead to today's session, David Madden, at IG Index, said: "In the US, we are expecting the Dow Jones to open 30 points higher, at 17,247 as the market shrugs off the decline in Europe.
"The focus will shift to industrial stocks now that the major US banks have revealed their results, and updates from Boeing and Baker Hughes will be the highlight of the session."
On the corporate front, investor eyes will be following a special float in New York - that of the famous sports car brand Ferrari, with the ticker aptly being RACE. Maybe, shares will get off to just such a start - they are priced at US$52 each - the top end of the range.
Ferrari is being spun out from parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCAM), which also owns the Maserati, Jeep and Dodge brands.
In London, the vibe is also positive, with the premier UK index - the FTSE100, trading 18 points to the good, at the time of writing..