US pre-open: Futures trade higher as Democrats to push for amendment to stimulus bill

Wall Street futures had stocks opening slightly higher ahead of the bell on Thursday as market participants prepared to take a break for the Christmas holiday.

As of 1220 GMT, Dow Jones futures were up 0.16%, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures had the indices opening 0.18% and 0.11% firmer, respectively.

The Dow closed 114.32 points higher on Wednesday despite investors digesting concerns expressed by Donald Trump over the Covid-19 relief package agreed by Congress.

After the President labelled the $600 direct payments included in the stimulus bill as a "disgrace", the Democratic Party said it will now attempt to pass a package that includes $2,000 direct payments to Americans.

However, minority leader Kevin McCarthy has already stated his intention to object and, instead, offer a new temporary spending bill separating State Department and foreign aid funding from the broader spending package — something Democrats were seen as being likely to oppose.

News from across the pond that the UK and the EU were nearing a deal on the former's exit from the bloc also lifted sentiment.

Markets will close at 1800 GMT.

The US has now recorded more than 18.91m cases of Covid-19, with deaths related to the pandemic totalling more than 334,218.

No major data points or corporate earnings were slated for release on Thursday.