Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed towards a modestly higher open on Tuesday, as concerns over the long running debt crisis in the euro zone eased and traders looked ahead to earnings reports.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.22% rise, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.30% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.54% increase.
Market sentiment has strengthened in recent days after ECB head Mario Draghi indicated last week that the bank may restart its bond buying program, in order to lower Spanish and Italian borrowing costs.
In earnings news, beverage manufacturer Molson Coors Brewing was to report earnings ahead of the open, while media company Walt Disney was to deliver earnings results after the close of trade.
Other firms set to release quarterly financials included MGM Resorts, Office Depot, Sirius XM and Pepco.
Shares of electronic retailer Best Buy looked likely to remain in focus after founder and former chairman Richard Schulze said Monday that he wants to take the company private with a bid of as much as USD8.84 billion.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were broadly higher. The EURO STOXX 50 was up 1.03%, France’s CAC 40 climbed 0.74%, Germany's DAX added 0.46%, while Britain's FTSE 100 dipped 0.04%.
Shares of British bank Standard Chartered bank plunged 23.64% in London after the New York State Department of Financial Services threatened to strip its state banking license, claiming it was a "rogue institution".
Officials from the DFS said the British bank concealed GBP160 billion in transactions tied to Iran, in violation of U.S. sanctions.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index closed up 0.37%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index rallied 0.88%.
Later in the day, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was to speak at an event in Washington DC.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.22% rise, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.30% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.54% increase.
Market sentiment has strengthened in recent days after ECB head Mario Draghi indicated last week that the bank may restart its bond buying program, in order to lower Spanish and Italian borrowing costs.
In earnings news, beverage manufacturer Molson Coors Brewing was to report earnings ahead of the open, while media company Walt Disney was to deliver earnings results after the close of trade.
Other firms set to release quarterly financials included MGM Resorts, Office Depot, Sirius XM and Pepco.
Shares of electronic retailer Best Buy looked likely to remain in focus after founder and former chairman Richard Schulze said Monday that he wants to take the company private with a bid of as much as USD8.84 billion.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were broadly higher. The EURO STOXX 50 was up 1.03%, France’s CAC 40 climbed 0.74%, Germany's DAX added 0.46%, while Britain's FTSE 100 dipped 0.04%.
Shares of British bank Standard Chartered bank plunged 23.64% in London after the New York State Department of Financial Services threatened to strip its state banking license, claiming it was a "rogue institution".
Officials from the DFS said the British bank concealed GBP160 billion in transactions tied to Iran, in violation of U.S. sanctions.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index closed up 0.37%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index rallied 0.88%.
Later in the day, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was to speak at an event in Washington DC.