U.S. stock index futures rose on Tuesday as investors cheered strong earnings from UnitedHealth Group and Johnson & Johnson.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 167 points, or 0.6%, to 26,540.
Futures for the S&P 500 hiked 10.5 points, or 0.4%, at 2,920
NASDAQ futures improved 32.75 points, or 0.4%, to 7,680.50
UnitedHealth Group shares were up nearly 3% in the premarket after the company reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue. The company also raised its earnings guidance for the full year.
Johnson & Johnson, another Dow component, climbed 1.9% on stronger-than-forecast quarterly results. More than half of its revenue came from prescription drug sales, which increased by more than 4%.
Other companies that posted better-than-expected quarterly earnings include Bank of America and BlackRock.
The corporate earnings season is off to a strong start. Nearly 84% of the S&P 500 companies that have reported so far have beaten analyst earnings expectations.
IBM, Netflix, and CSX are among the companies set to report after Tuesday's close.
On the data front, a report on U.S. industrial production and capacity utilization is due at 9.15 a.m. ET, and the National Association of Home Builders survey will be out at 10 a.m. ET.
Overseas, in Japan, the Nikkei 225 picked up 0.2% Friday, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index spiked 1.1%.
Oil prices gained 35 cents to $63.75 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices docked $4.10 to $1,287.20 U.S. an ounce.