By Anora Mahmudova and Carla Mozee, MarketWatch

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock futures pointed higher Monday as a flurry of merger news and better-than-expected earnings from Citigroup Inc. lifted investor sentiment.

The banking heavyweight's profit topped estimates, while it also reached a $7 billion settlement with the U.S. Justice Department over shoddy mortgage-backed securities.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJU4) rose 76 points, or 0.5%, to 16,957, while those for the S&P 500 index (SPU4) picked up 8 points, or 0.4%, to 1,970. The Nasdaq 100 index (NDU4) was up 18 points, or 0.5%, to 3,916.

The pace of the second-quarter earnings season will move into high gear this week with results due from large companies in the financial and technology sectors, the two largest sectors in the S&P 500 index (SPX).

The banking sector and "valuations are going to remain the main focus for this week, as we will get the earnings from some of the biggest tycoons of Wall Street," said Naeem Aslam, chief market analyst at AvaTrade, in a note. "The expectations are high, and investors are hoping that these earnings will cement the optimism that growth is on track in the U.S. and the revenues are healthy."

Before the opening bell on Monday, Citigroup (C) shares rose 4% in premarket trade after the bank beat profit and revenue estimates. The bank also said it reached a $7 billion settlement with the U.S. Justice Department. The agreement settles allegations that the bank sold shoddy mortgage-backed securities leading up to the financial crisis.

There are no Federal Reserve speakers or data reports on the calendar Monday, though Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen will field questions from Congress on Tuesday and Wednesday. This week will see the retail sales report for June on Tuesday, which could offer clues about whether consumers are starting to feel more optimistic. Also on the docket this week are reports on new home construction, manufacturing and consumer sentiment.

Outside of corporate earnings, shares of drug maker AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) may be active after Shire PLC (SHPGY) said Monday it has received a new takeover offer from AbbVie, and that it's willing to recommend the deal, now valued at more than $53 billion, to its shareholders.

Mylan Inc. shares (MYL) tacked on 3% premarket following news of the drug company's plan to buy a portion of Abbott Laboratories (ABT) generics business in a deal valued at $5.3 billion.

Aecom Technology Corp. (ACM) said Sunday it is buying engineering and construction company URS Corp. (URS) for $4 billion in cash and stock, and will assume $2 billion in debt, bringing the deal's total cost to $6 billion.

Whiting Petroleum Corp. on Sunday said it plans to buy Kodiak Oil & Gas Corp. (KOG.V) in a deal worth $3.8 billion.

In the commodities market, futures for August crude oil (CLQ4) fell 13 cents to $100.70 a barrel and gold futures (GCQ4) fell $23 to $1,314 an ounce.

Asian stocks overnight finished broadly higher, with Tokyo's Nikkei Average ending up by 0.9%. European stocks rose as fears about the soundness of Portuguese banks receded.

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