NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Optimism about tech stocks in the wake of strong results from Adobe Systems could lift U.S. stocks at Tuesday's open, pushing the meeting of Fed policy makers on Wall Street's back burner for at least a little while.

Early Tuesday, Nasdaq and S&P futures were solidly higher.

Adobe Systems (ADBE: Research, Estimates) rose more than 3 percent in before-hours trading Tuesday. The graphic software maker said strong demand for its Photoshop and document-sharing programs allowed it to beat analysts' fiscal third-quarter earnings estimates; it also raised forecasts for the current quarter.

Larry Watchel, market analyst with Wachovia Securities, said it is the computer chipmakers that helped lead technology stocks in Asia and Europe higher in Tuesday trading and helping to lift U.S. stock futures early Tuesday. Those gains followed an upgrade for the sector from Wall Street research firm Bernstein & Co.

The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index, the Soxx, gained about 3 percent Monday even as the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost ground.

"The chip stocks are very important in terms of psychology, and that was translated overseas and followed through with the future this morning," said Watchel.

The Fed is expected to raise interest rates by a quarter percentage point, with its key rate going to 1.75 percent. What will be closely watched in the Fed's statement, due around 2:15 p.m. ET, will be any hint of a pause in the current hiking policy due to economic sluggishness.

In addition, a strong report on housing starts from the Commerce Department also helped to lift futures early Tuesday. The government said housing starts reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2 million in August, coming in well above analysts' estimates as interest rates remain low.

The Dow Jones industrial average was hurt Monday by concern about Citigroup after a key downgrade and earnings warnings from Unilever and Colgate; the Dow was down 0.8 percent. The Nasdaq composite index lost only 0.1 percent.

Asian-Pacific stocks ended flat, with Tokyo's Nikkei index barely budging downward. European markets rose in early trading. (Check the latest on world markets)

Treasury prices fell in early trading, sending the 10-year note yield up to 4.07 percent from 4.05 percent late Monday. The dollar was unchanged against the yen and lower versus the euro. Gold was little changed.

Oil prices were higher in early trading. U.S. crude futures gained 9 cents to $46.44 a barrel in electronic trading, while Brent oil futures gained 10 cents to $43.01 a barrel in London.

Among the other stocks to watch early Tuesday is Delta Air Lines (DAL: Research, Estimates) after the nation's No. 3 airline announced a deal to temporarily bring back recently retired pilots in an effort to avoid staff shortages that the company has warned could force it into a bankruptcy filing. Delta shares rose nearly 10 percent in after-hours trading to $4.18.