Futures were higher Tuesday as investors were encouraged by a handful of upbeat corporate earnings results and after housing starts rose far more than expected.
Among banks, Wells Fargo posted a higher quarterly profit as the bank dipped into funds previously set aside for bad loans.
However, Goldman Sachs reported earnings that fell far short of Wall Street estimates, sending shares lower. And Bank of America posted a loss after an $8.5 billion settlement with mortgage bond investors. The banking giant closed below $10 a share on Monday, for the first time since June 2009.
IBM surged after the tech giant posted stronger-than-expected earnings after-the-bell Monday and raised its full-year guidance, helped by strong sales of its computers and software.
Coca-Cola earnings topped estimates, helped by strong growth in markets outside the U.S. And Johnson & Johnson also said earnings beat estimates.
Apple and Yahoo are due to report second quarter earnings after the markets close.