Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to a flat open on Tuesday, as investors continued to focus on key corporate earnings reports.
During early morning hours in New York, the blue-chip Dow futures dipped 12 points, or 0.07%, the S&P 500 futures added 1 point, or 0.02%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 futures increased 7 points, or 0.16%.
With no major economic data on the calendar this session, earnings remained in focus.
Apple shares (NASDAQ:AAPL) tacked on 0.8% in pre-market trade. The iPhone maker is expected to report fiscal third quarter earnings of $1.81 a share after Tuesday's closing bell, compared to $1.28 a share a year earlier. Revenue is projected to grow 32% to $49.3 billion.
Meanwhile, IBM (NYSE:IBM) shares tumbled 5% after reporting earnings that fell short of market expectations after the closing bell on Monday. The tech firm posted second quarter adjusted profit of $3.84 per share on $20.81 billion in sales, both below analyst projections.
United Technologies (NYSE:UTX) shares declined 2.2% after reporting weaker than expected second quarter revenue ahead of the opening bell on Tuesday.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Yahoo (NASDAQ:YHOO), Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ), GoPro (NASDAQ:GPRO) and Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) are also due to report quarterly earnings on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, miners looked set to rebound from Monday's sharp losses as gold futures regained strength. Barrick Gold (NYSE:ABX), Eldorado Gold (NYSE:EGO), Newmont Mining (NYSE:NEM) and Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold (NYSE:FCX) were all up more than 2% ahead of the open.
In analyst news, Tesla Motors (NASDAQ:TSLA) saw shares drop 4% after UBS downgraded the stock to 'sell' from 'neutral'.
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