US pre-open: Futures point to small gains with trade still in focus

US futures had stocks opening higher on Monday as trading returned to normal following the Thanksgiving holiday.

As of 1230 GMT, Dow futures were up 0.16%, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures were ahead 0.18% and 0.12%, respectively.

The Dow closed 0.40% lower in Friday's shortened session after China claimed the US had "sinister intentions" when Donald Trump signed legislation supporting protesters in Hong Kong earlier that week.

Market participants looked set to continue monitoring trade developments between Beijing and Washington on Monday after Chinese state media reported on Sunday that the Asian superpower wanted to see the cancellation of all tariffs before a phase one trade deal was reached.

There was no clear sign as to when both countries would be able to sign an agreement.

Rupert Thompson, head of research at Kingswood, said: "After two weeks of little change, the rally in global equities has resumed. US-China trade negotiations remain centre stage and the presumption is very much that a limited deal will eventually be agreed.

"Still, this is not yet a done deal, not least because recent US support for the protesters in Hong Kong has not gone down well in China."

On the data front, the Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing index for November will be published at 1500 GMT.

In corporate news, Yunji and Coupa Software will report earnings throughout the day.

Retail stocks will also remain in focus given the post-Black Friday Cyber Monday shopping session.