• Asian equity futures pointed to small gains Tuesday after Wall Street extended its relentless rally, buoyed by a burst of deals as traders largely ignored tempered messaging from Federal Reserve officials.
• Australian shares were steady at the open, while Japanese stocks were set to trade marginally higher. Contracts on US equities traded flat after the S&P 500 index rose Monday as more than $40 billion of mergers and acquisitions hit the wire after months of disappointing volumes. The Nasdaq 100 also extended gains to close at a record for the second consecutive session.
• China’s benchmark CSI 300 Index — down 14% in 2023 — is poised for a third-straight annual loss, which would be the longest streak of yearly declines since the gauge’s inception in 2002.