Stock futures rise as lawmakers draw closer to stimulus agreement

Stock futures rose Tuesday evening as lawmakers appeared to draw closer to an agreement for another round of virus-relief measures.

The three major indices ended the regular session higher after falling earlier in the day. The Dow and S&P 500 each reversed losses from Monday, and the Nasdaq jumped to yet another record closing high.

More upbeat developments on a stimulus package helped alleviate concerns over economic fallout that might emerge as COVID-19 cases surge and trigger more lockdowns. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement on Twitter that he offered a new $916 billion proposal to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), which he said “includes money for state and local governments and robust liability protections for businesses, schools and universities.” Last week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers had unveiled a stimulus outline worth about $908 billion.