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U.S. stock index futures were little changed early Wednesday, after the major averages finished Tuesday’s session slightly in the red.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials inched bank two points to 33,314.
Futures for the S&P 500 slipped 0.25 points to 4,063.75.
Futures for the NASDAQ Composite index faltered 3.5 points to 13,560 Wednesday.
Shares of reopening plays airlines and cruise lines were higher in pre-market trading, continuing their recent run. Shares of Carnival were up 2%. Shares of Southwest Airlines gained 1% in pre-market trading.
The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday raised its 2021 growth outlook for the global economy to 6%, up from January’s forecast of 5.5%. The organization said that "a way out of this health and economic crisis is increasingly visible." The IMF did, however, warn of “daunting challenges” given the varied pace of vaccine rollouts around the world.
The Federal Open Market Committee will publish the minutes from its March meeting, where the central bank opted to leave interest rates unchanged, on Wednesday. The minutes could offer investors a clue as to when the Fed might hike interest rates.
Overseas, in Japan, the Nikkei 225 poked ahead 0.1% Wednesday, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index returned from a long weekend to lose 0.9%.
Oil prices gained 57 cents to $59.90 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices slumped $9.40 to $1,737.60 U.S.
