US equity futures were little changed on Tuesday, retaining gains from the previous session as corporate borrowing costs eased and optimism grew over returns from AI agents (software that performs tasks with limited human direction). Contracts tied to the S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq 100 were flat, while S&P 500 and Dow futures remained less than 0.5% below record highs. Stocks were broadly higher before the open as oil and fuel prices declined for a fifth straight session. Signs that Iran, the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council), and the US could pursue diplomacy to restore some oil trade in the Persian Gulf helped trim the month’s surge in bond yields. AI hyperscalers, which have issued record amounts of corporate debt despite elevated borrowing costs, advanced, with Microsoft, Oracle and Alphabet each gaining 1%. Banks and industrial companies also rose. Chipmakers slipped after their previous session’s surge, but retained most of those gains amid positive responses to Meta’s Muse AI agent. AMD, Micron and Intel each fell 1%.