By Sam Meredith, CNBC–

U.S. stock index futures were slightly higher Tuesday morning.

At around 02:00 a.m. ET, Dow futures rose 40 points, indicating a positive open of more than 53 points. Futures on the S&P and Nasdaq were both slightly higher.

Market focus is largely attuned to global trade developments after China’s vice foreign minister said that Beijing and Washington had achieved some progress in their trade talks.

His comments come less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump sounded optimistic about the prospect of a trade agreement by the middle of next month.

The world’s two largest economies secured a limited trade deal last week, in an attempt to end a protracted dispute that has battered financial markets and hammered global growth.

On the data front, the Philadelphia Fed non-manufacturing index for October will be released at around 8:30 a.m. ET. Existing home sales for September and the Richmond Fed survey for October will follow slightly later in the session.

In corporate news, Biogen, Lockheed Martin and McDonald’s are among some of the major companies set to report earnings before the opening bell.

Texas Instruments, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Snap are poised to report their latest quarterly figures after market close.