U.S. stock-index futures attempted to edge higher but were seeing relatively tepid gains Sunday night, even as Congress reached a deal on a $900 billion coronavirus relief package. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average {s: ym00] rose 93 points, or 0.3%, at 30,210, those for the S&P 500 ES00, -0.07% were flat at 3,707.50, while Nasdaq-100 futures rose 0.2% to reach 12,740.50. The agreement was seen as vital to helping troubled American workers and businesses as the COVID-19 pandemic rages in much of the country. The deal, which would see qualifying Americans receive direct payments of $600 and $300 a week in enhanced federal unemployment benefits, come after the stock market closed mixed on Friday, in the last full trading week of December, with the Dow DJIA, -0.41% finishing 124.32 points, or 0.4%, lower at 30,179.05, the S&P 500 SPX, -0.35% closing down 13.07 points, or 0.4%, to end at 3,709.41, after hitting an intraday record high at 3,726.70. The Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, -0.07% lost 9.11 points, or 0.1%, on Friday to close at 12,755.64, after notching its intraday all-time high at 12,809.60. Congressional efforts toward a fresh aid package to combat the detrimental economic effects of the pandemic were coupled with a roughly $1.4 trillion annual fiscal spending package, with lawmakers racing to avert a government shutdown that would have taken effect at 12:01 a.m. Monday
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