U.S. futures steady ahead of Fed minutes, Bernanke; Dow Jones up 0.01%

Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to a a steady open on Tuesday, as markets were jittery ahead of comments by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday.

Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.01% gain, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.09% loss, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.09% fall.

Investors remained cautious ahead of Bernanke’s testimony at the U.S. Joint Economic Committee and the minutes of the Fed’s most recent policy meeting, both due Wednesday.

Markets were awaiting any indication that the U.S. central bank will begin to scale back its asset purchase program this year after recent economic data bolstered optimism over the economic recovery.

Cruise operator Carnival was likely to be in focus, as shares dove 12.54% in pre-market trade after the company projected lower full-year profit than its previous forecast. The company said its revenue per customer has fallen since it cut ticket prices in an attempt to fill cabins.

Rival group Royal Caribbean Cruisesplunged 4.79% in early trading, following the news.

Retailers were also expected to be active, after Urban Outfitters said sales of USD648.2 million in the first quarter fell short of the USD655.1 million average estimate.

Elsewhere, Yahoo shares were up 0.15% pre-marke, following reports the company will buy blogging service Tumblr for USD1.1 billion cash, giving the Internet pioneer a social media platform to reach a younger generation of users and breathe new life into its ailing brand.

Also in company news, Actavis said it will acquire Warner Chilcott in a stock-for-stock transaction valued at USD5 billion.

Other stocks in focus included Best Buy and Medtronic, scheduled to report first-quarter earnings later in the day.

Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were mixed to lower. The EURO STOXX 50 retreated 0.60%, France’s CAC 40 declined 0.45%, Germany's DAX slid 0.31%, while Britain's FTSE 100 added 0.13%.

During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dropped 0.54%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index edged up 0.13%.