After a muted start, DJIA futures lifted to 38,755, driven by upbeat sentiment in global equities. Traders emphasize the importance of maintaining the 38,700 support zone to confirm bullish momentum. Vance Says U.S. ‘Headed to a Shutdown’ After Meeting With Democrats (Reuters): A standoff over health funding has stalled negotiations, raising the prospect of furloughs, court closures and delayed services if government funding lapses tomorrow. "This uptick of inflation that we've been seeing, coupled with the payroll jobs numbers deteriorating, have put the central bank in a bit of a sticky spot where you're getting deterioration of both sides of the mandate at the same time," Goolsbee said. "I'm a little wary about front-loading too many rate cuts and just counting on the inflation going away." Futures on the DJIA rose 0.23% to 38,765, buoyed by optimism in transportation and retail earnings outlooks. Chart watchers see potential for a push toward 39,000 if momentum holds.