S&P 500 futures climbed Monday, as Wall Street awaited a key artificial intelligence conference and looked ahead to monetary policy guidance from the Federal Reserve later this week. Futures tied to the S&P 500 ticked up 0.8%. Nasdaq-100 futures added 1.2% and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose 93 points, or 0.2%. Tech shares outperformed in early trading. Nvidia shares were up more than 2% in the premarket ahead of the company’s GTC Conference — where the chipmaker is expected to showcase its latest inroads in artificial intelligence. Shares of Alphabet rose 4% after Bloomberg News reported that Apple was in talks with Google to include the company’s Gemini AI in iPhones. Meanwhile, Super Micro Computer climbed 2.8% ahead of the company’s first trading day as part of the S&P 500. Those moves took place ahead of the Fed’s two-day policy meeting, which is slated to start Tuesday and end with an announcement Wednesday. According to the CME FedWatch Tool, Fed funds futures are currently pricing in a 99% likelihood that the Fed will leave benchmark interest rates unchanged this week. However, the expectation for a June cut has ticked down in recent days to about 55%. ″[This] week’s Fed meeting could determine the direction for the market, particularly if the Fed telegraphs that rates need to remain steady, even for just a bit longer,” LPL Financial chief global strategist Quincy Krosby wrote in a Friday note. “That could be what’s needed to allow this market to absorb gains and consolidate before the new earnings season begins.” Inflation concerns have pressured stocks in recent days, with the S&P 500 set to enter Monday trading riding a two-week losing streak. The 30-stock Dow and Nasdaq are also coming off marginal losses. A hotter-than-expected February core and wholesale inflation reading frustrated equities and sparked anxiety that the central bank may be partial toward higher interest rates for longer before its policy meeting begins on Tuesday. U.S. Treasury yields were little changed on Monday as investors looked ahead to the Federal Reserve’s March meeting, which could provide clues about the outlook for interest rates. The yield on the 10-year Treasury was unchanged. The 2-year Treasury yield was last less 1 basis point lower at 4.71%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index led gains in Asia-Pacific markets on Monday, while China shares extended gains after data showed its economy kicked off the year on a strong note. Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed 2.67% higher at 39,740.44. The Topix climbed 1.92% to close at 2,721.99. China’s CSI 300 index closed 0.94% higher at 3,603.53, ending its sixth straight session in positive territory. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was also trading up about 0.2% in the last hour of trading, after opening nearly 0.3% lower. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 closed 0.07% higher at 7,675.80. South Korea’s Kospi ended 0.72% higher at 2,685.84 after recording an almost 2% loss on Friday, while the small-cap Kosdaq was up 1.59% at 894.48. The Taiwan Weighted index was 1% higher ending at 19,879.85, with shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company up 1.87%. Oil prices ticked up Monday, extending gains from last week of nearly 4% on the view that supply was tightening, with the risks heightened by further attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. Brent crude oil futures for May delivery climbed 67 cents, or 0.8%, to $86.01 a barrel. The April contract for U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up 75 cents, or 0.9%, at $81.80. The more active May delivery contract for WTI traded 72 cents, or 0.9%, higher at $81.30 per barrel. Gold prices slipped on Monday as the dollar held firm and investors braced for a slew of policy decisions from major global central banks including the U.S. Federal Reserve this week. Spot gold was down 0.4% to $2,147.89 per ounce, as of 0259 GMT. U.S. gold futures fell 0.5% to $2,151.30.