U.S. stock index futures pointed to a flat to slightly higher open on Tuesday, with investors gearing up for a slew of earnings results, on top of being on the lookout for new data and comments from leading Fed members.
Major U.S. companies are set to release their latest earnings on Tuesday, with Allergan, and SeaWorld, were among the companies that reported before the bell. Disney, News Corp., and Discovery Communications were among the firms reporting after the bell.
Elsewhere on the data front, the NFIB (National Federation of Independent Business) survey showed small-business confidence slipped in April. Wholesale trade and JOLTs (job openings and labor turnover survey) are also due later on Tuesday.
In the central banking sphere, members from the U.S. Federal Reserve are expected to deliver speeches on Tuesday.
Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari is expected to be at the Minnesota High Tech Spring Conference in Minneapolis, while Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan is set to appear at the Dallas Regional Chamber Lower Middle Market Investment Summit.
Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren will also speak about the U.S. economy and commercial real estate at New York University Stern School of Business.
The Nasdaq composite and the S&P eked out record closing highs on Monday, ending the session just above breakeven.
In commodities news, oil prices wavered on Tuesday, amid concerns over a persistent rise in U.S. oil output and a slowdown in China. Around 8:16 a.m. ET, U.S. WTI was trading lower at $46.31 while Brent was at $49.49 per barrel.
Elsewhere in the world, bourses in Europe were posting gains, while Asia-Pacific markets appeared subdued by the end of trade. On Monday, the Nasdaq composite and S&P 500 notched new all-time intraday and closing highs.