U.S. stock index futures traded higher Wednesday, ahead of the release of the minutes from the last Federal Reserve policy meeting as well as more quarterly earnings.

At 05:15 ET (10:15 GMT), Dow Jones Futures gained 260 points, or 0.5%, S&P 500 Futures advanced 40 points, or 0.6%, and Nasdaq 100 Futures rose 160 points, or 0.7%.

The main averages on Wall Street posted minor gain in the prior session, buoyed by a muted rebound in under-pressure technology shares. 

Fed minutes in spotlight 

The focus in the coming days will be squarely on a host of key economic indicators, including the minutes of the Fed’s January meeting, for more cues on the world’s largest economy. 

The Fed minutes are due later Wednesday, and are expected to provide more insight into the central bank’s plans for future interest rates. The Fed left rates unchanged in January and had flagged continued caution over sticky inflation and labor market weakness.

Notably, two Fed governors, Stephen Miran and Christopher Waller, dissented from the Fed’s decision last month to hold rates steady and push pause on a series of borrowing cost cuts dating back to the middle of last year.

Industrial production data for January is also due Wednesday, while PCE price index data for December is scheduled for Friday.

The PCE print is the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, and is likely to factor into the central bank’s long-term outlook on interest rates. 

Uncertainty over the Fed has been a major weight on Wall Street in recent weeks, especially after President Donald Trump’s nominee for the next Fed Chair, Kevin Warsh, was viewed as a less dovish choice. 

Palo Alto’s guidance disappoints 

The tech sector has been in the spotlight for most of the new year as worries remained around the outlook for an industry that has been jolted by the unveiling of a series of cutting-edge artificial intelligence tools. Some traders have begun to fear the AI models could disrupt a swath of businesses ranging from software and financial services to real estate and logistics.

At the same time, doubts have swirled around when massive investments in AI data centers will eventually start to reap significant financial returns.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) added to these concerns after the group delivered a quarterly top-and-bottom line beat, but provided profit guidance that fell short of expectations.

Palo Alto offers cybersecurity through AI-driven platforms to protect networks and cloud operations. It provides services such as firewalls, threat intelligence, zero-trust network security, and secure access service edge solutions.

Elsewhere, there are earnings due from the likes of Booking Holdings (NASDAQ:BKNG), Carvana (NYSE:CVNA) and DoorDash (NASDAQ:DASH) on Wednesday.

Crude bounces after selloff 

Oil prices edged up after tumbling nearly 2% in the previous session, as signs of progress in U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations eased fears of supply disruptions and dampened risk premiums.

Brent Oil Futures expiring in April had risen 0.5% to $67.78 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures also gained 0.5% to $62.56 per barrel.

Brent contract slipped nearly 2% on Tuesday, while WTI prices fell 1%.

Washington and Tehran reportedly reached an understanding on key “guiding principles” during talks in Switzerland on Tuesday, raising expectations of a potential deal that could eventually bring more Iranian crude to global markets.