Wall Street futures march higher as deal making takes spotlight from corporate earnings

U.S. futures followed global markets higher on Monday ahead of another big week of corporate earnings reports but an absence of economic data as the U.S. government shutdown entered its second month.

Futures for the S&P 500 gained 0.3% before the bell, while Nasdaq futures advanced 0.6%. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average bounced back-and-forth between tiny gains and losses.