Investors largely shrugged off comments by US President Donald Trump that a nearly $900 billion stimulus bill, agreed upon after months of wrangling in Congress, was "a disgrace" that he might not sign.
SoftBank Group was down 1.13 percent at 8,393 yen following reports that it applied for an initial public offering of a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) called SVF Investment to raise up to $525 million.
Logan also serves as chairman for the National Association of Securities Professionals, a professional society for minorities in the securities and investments industries.
Retail shares likely will not advance in unison, as the pandemic has only magnified long-standing trends that will separate winners from losers, investors said.
U.S. S&P 500 E-minis were up 1 point, or 0.03pc at 8:06 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were up 6 points, or 0.02pc, while Nasdaq 100 E-minis were up 2.25 points, or 0.02pc.
In its final policy meeting of the year, the US central bank is expected to keep its key overnight interest rate pinned near zero and signal it will stay there for years to come.
The S&P 500 opened higher by 18.92 points, or 0.52pc, at 3,666.41, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 103.22 points, or 0.83pc, to 12,543.26 at the opening bell.
The S&P 500 opened higher by 11.81 points, or 0.32pc, at 3,675.27, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 69.57 points, or 0.56pc, to 12,447.44 at the opening bell.
The U.S. Senate, facing a midnight deadline on Friday, unanimously approved a one-week extension of federal funding to avoid a government shutdown and to provide more time for separate negotiations on COVID-19 relief and an overarching spending bill.