Minutes to the central bank's June meeting on Tuesday suggested while some members were pondering the possible need for additional easing amid a weak economy, the Fed is not yet ready to take any further action.
The dollar declined against most major currencies.
On the tech front, Apple gained after Citigroup raises its price target on the iPhone maker to $450 from $435. Meanwhile, China Telecom said it plans to offer the iPhone in China by year-end, the second operator to do so in the world's largest cell phone market.
Meanwhile, Electronic Arts , the video game publisher, is buying PopCap Gamesin a deal worth up to $1.3 billionas it tries to ramp up its social and casual games portfolio and better compete with Zynga according to a report from Reuters.
Netflix hiked monthly pricesfor customers who use both its mail and online services, a move that could steer users toward its growing streaming service.
Meanwhile, NewCorp announced it is withdrawing its $12 billion bidfor BSkyB, but plans to remain as a long-term shareholder.
Among earnings, Capital One slipped even after the credit-card provider posted larger-than-expected quarterly profit and said it would raise $2 billion via stock offering to fund the acquisition of ING's U.S. online bank.
Yum and Marriott are scheduled to release reports after-the-bell.
Gold prices climbed for an eighth-consecutive session, hitting a record high above $1,580 an ounce, amid concerns over the ongoing euro zone crisis that prompted investors to flock to the precious metal as a safe-haven trade.
Oil prices rallied after a government report showed crude inventories fell more than expected. U.S. light, sweet crude gained above $98 a barrel, while London Brent crude traded above $118.
The government is scheduled to auction $21 billion in 10-year notes at 1pm ET.
On the economic front, U.S. import prices fell for the first time in a yearin June as petroleum and food costs tumbled, according to the Labor Department.
Overall import prices dropped 0.5 percent, after gaining 0.1 percent in May. Economists polled by Reuters had expected prices to drop 0.6 percent last month. Import prices were up 13.6 percent in the 12 months through June.
And weekly mortgage applications fell last week for the fourth time, due to a decline in refinance demand even as interest rates tumbled, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.
China's economy grew faster than expected in the second quarter as the nation's GDP rose 9.5 percent from a year earlier, exceeding expectations for 9.4 percent, helped by robust domestic consumption and investment.
European shares edged up after Italian banks recovered some losses from worries over the euro zone debt crisis. Moody's downgraded Ireland's rating to junk statusTuesdayand said the country is likely to follow Greece in needing a second bailout.
Coming Up This Week:
WEDNESDAY: 10-yr note auction; Earnings from Yum Brands
THURSDAY: PPI, retail sales, jobless claims, business inventories, 30-yr bond auction, money supply, NPD video games sales; Earnings from JPMorgan and Google
FRIDAY: CPI, Empire state mfg survey, industrial production, consumer sentiment, credit card default rates reported, Dell shareholder mtg; Earnings from Citigroup and Mattel
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