Stocks set for early gains

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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- U.S. stocks looked set to open higher Wednesday as investor optimism rose on the expectation that interest rates would remain low for some time.

S&P 500, Nasdaq-100 and Dow Jones industrial average futures were higher.

Futures measure current index values against their perceived future performance and offer an indication of how markets may open when trading begins.

Robert Brusca, chief economist at Fact and Opinion Economics, said that investor optimism seemed to be overriding negative sentiment, noting that "the markets were able to shake off a somewhat disappointing jobs number last week."

"I think people are more optimistic than the pessimists that are making all the news," he said. "I think the health of the market is better than a lot of the technicians give it credit for."

U.S. bond markets are closed for Veterans Day but stock and commodity markets are open as usual.

Wall Street finished Tuesday's session mixed as investors expressed caution following Monday's huge stock rally. With its 20-point gain, the Dow hit a new 13-month high

Economy: Federal Reserve officials speaking Tuesday noted that the U.S. economic recovery was likely to be weak. But they also reinforced the view the central bank would keep rates low for the foreseeable future.

Companies: AIG's (AIG, Fortune 500) Robert Benmosche threatened to step down as CEO of the bailed-out insurer, telling the company board that he's "done" because of government restraints, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited unidentified people familiar with the matter.

World markets: In Japan, the Nikkei finished the session little changed. Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 1.6%. Major European indexes were higher in midday trading.

Money and oil: The dollar was mixed against major international currencies, slipping against the euro but rising versus the pound and the yen. The price of oil rose 56 cents to $79.61 a barrel.