Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to a slightly higher open on Tuesday, as investors turned to the Federal Reserve's upcoming policy-setting meeting for indications on the future of the central bank's stimulus program.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.10% gain, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.10% rise, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.25% increase.
Markets were jittery as a string of recent U.S. economic reports last week fuelled further uncertainty over whether the Fed will soon begin to scale back its bond-buying program.
On Monday, industry data showed that U.S. pending home sales fell 0.4% in June, less than the expected 1% decline, after a 5.8% rise the previous month.
U.S. drugmaker Pfizer was expected to be active, after the company posted quarterly results slightly higher than market expectations, sending shares up 1.02% in after-hour trade.
In the auto sector, Chrysler was likely to be in focus as the automaker cut its net income forecast for 2013 to USD1.7 billion from USD2.2 billion, and also cut its full-year vehicle shipment outlook.
Oil and gas giant BP was also set to be in the spotlight, after posting a second-quarter profit that missed analysts' expectations, and warning that its USD20 billion oil-spill compensation fund has almost run out.
Shares in the company plunged 4.55% in pre-market trade.
Also in earmings news, Sprint reported a wider-than-predicted loss after the wireless carrier shut down its Nextel network and lost more than 1 million monthly subscribers. Despite the news, shares in the company jumped 1.05% in early trading.
Elsewhere, JP Morgan was up 0.04% in extended trading, amid reports the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is accusing the U.S. lender of manipulating power markets in California and the Midwest.
Other stocks likely to be in focus included Merck, JetBlue, Thomson Reuters, Occidental Petroleum, Coach and Corning, all scheduled to post results before the opening bell.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were higher. The EURO STOXX 50 rose 0.34%, France’s CAC 40 added 0.21%, Germany's DAX edged up 0.21%, while Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.18%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index climbed 0.48%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index rallied 1.53%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release data on the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller Composite-20 house price index, followed by the Conference Board's report on consumer confidence.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.10% gain, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.10% rise, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.25% increase.
Markets were jittery as a string of recent U.S. economic reports last week fuelled further uncertainty over whether the Fed will soon begin to scale back its bond-buying program.
On Monday, industry data showed that U.S. pending home sales fell 0.4% in June, less than the expected 1% decline, after a 5.8% rise the previous month.
U.S. drugmaker Pfizer was expected to be active, after the company posted quarterly results slightly higher than market expectations, sending shares up 1.02% in after-hour trade.
In the auto sector, Chrysler was likely to be in focus as the automaker cut its net income forecast for 2013 to USD1.7 billion from USD2.2 billion, and also cut its full-year vehicle shipment outlook.
Oil and gas giant BP was also set to be in the spotlight, after posting a second-quarter profit that missed analysts' expectations, and warning that its USD20 billion oil-spill compensation fund has almost run out.
Shares in the company plunged 4.55% in pre-market trade.
Also in earmings news, Sprint reported a wider-than-predicted loss after the wireless carrier shut down its Nextel network and lost more than 1 million monthly subscribers. Despite the news, shares in the company jumped 1.05% in early trading.
Elsewhere, JP Morgan was up 0.04% in extended trading, amid reports the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is accusing the U.S. lender of manipulating power markets in California and the Midwest.
Other stocks likely to be in focus included Merck, JetBlue, Thomson Reuters, Occidental Petroleum, Coach and Corning, all scheduled to post results before the opening bell.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were higher. The EURO STOXX 50 rose 0.34%, France’s CAC 40 added 0.21%, Germany's DAX edged up 0.21%, while Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.18%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index climbed 0.48%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index rallied 1.53%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release data on the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller Composite-20 house price index, followed by the Conference Board's report on consumer confidence.