US stocks seen higher again on hopes $2.3 trillion stimulus package will be approved by the Senate

7.40am: More gains predicted US stocks are expected to advance again on Tuesday, building on the rise to record highs in the previous session underpinned by hopes a $2.3 trillion stimulus package signed into law by President Trump on Sunday will be approved by the Senate. The package covers $1.4 trillion in spending to fund government agencies and $892 billion in coronavirus (COVID-19) relief, including $2,000 relief cheques to help cushion the economic impact of the pandemic. The Democratic-controlled House on Monday approved the legislation, but the proposal faces an uncertain future in the Republican-controlled Senate. Dow Jones index futures pointed to a 0.5% higher open on Wall Street today following a strong Monday performance which saw the US blue-chip index gain over 200 points, or nearly 0.7%, to close at 30,403,97. S&P 500 futures were also up 0.5%, and Nasdaq 100 futures added 0.4%. Global shares rose for the fourth straight session on Tuesday and oil followed suit as hopes of fresh US stimulus teed up a strong end to the year for riskier assets and had the dollar eyeing two-and-a-half-year lows. Britain’s blue-chip shares rose on their first day of trading since the Christmas Eve agreement of a trade deal with the European Union, led by companies in a range of sectors likely to benefit from the deal. Also among the gainers was drugmaker AstraZeneca buoyed by news its COVID-19 vaccine is set to be granted emergency use approval within a few days by the UK government. But demand for riskier assets weakened the US dollar, often seen as a safe-haven asset, which lost 0.2% against a basket of currencies and eyed the 18-month low hit in November. The US economic calendar includes advance data on November trade in goods at 8.30am, the Chicago purchasing managers index for December at 9.45am, and November pending-home sales data at 10.00am. On the corporate front, Boeing shares were higher in pre-market trade as the aircraft maker’s troubled 737 Max plane was slated to carry airline passengers on a flight Tuesday for the first time in around two years, according to news reports.