(By Balachander) U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher opening on the Wall Street as investors keenly await a congressional testimony by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on possibility for additional monetary stimulus. Slew of upbeat corporate earnings reports, including Goldman, also buoyed sentiment.
Mini Dow Industrial Average futures rose 48 points to 12,696. The Nasdaq Futures gained 13.50 points to 2,585. Standard and Poor's 500 futures added 5.60 points to 1,353.
On the domestic economic front, a data showed that core consumer price inflation rose 0.2 percent in June for the fourth straight month, in line with expectations. The headline index was little changed last month, versus expectations of a 0.1 percent drop.
Meanwhile, Bernanke is scheduled to testify before Congress at 10 am ET.
On Monday, U.S. stocks closed in red after a report showed an unexpected drop in retail sales for June even as investors remained cautious ahead of slew of corporate earnings reports this week amid concerns about the global economy.
Hot Stocks Of The Day: GS, YHOO, JNJ, JBHT, MAT, KO, MOS, MFRM, DGIT
In corporate news, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE:GS) gained 2.12 percent in premarket after the financial services behemoth posted better-than-expected revenue for the second quarter. Total net revenue fell 9 percent, versus market expectations of a 13.7 percent decline.
Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) added 2.01 percent in premarket. The Internet company named Marissa Mayer - a former executive at Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) - as its president and chief executive, effective July 17.
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) fell 1.24 percent in premarket after the company reduced its fiscal 2012 earnings guidance below Wall Street view.
Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE:KO) advanced 1.46 percent after the beverage giant posted a rise in quarterly earnings on continued strong volume and revenue growth.
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) shed 5.28 percent after the company's quarterly revenue trailed market expectations.
Mattel Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT) jumped 6.31 percent in premarket after the El Segundo, California-based toy maker reported a surprise rise in quarterly earnings, as jump in gross margins offset flat sales.
Mosaic Co. (NYSE:MOS) rose 2.04 percent in premarket after the Plymouth, Minnesota-based provider of potash products doubled its annual dividend to $1.00 per share. The company also posted a 22 percent drop in quarterly earnings due to lower prices in phosphates.
Comerica Inc. (NYSE:CMA) reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, helped by rise in net interest income. Shares advanced 2.89 percent in premarket.
Mattress Firm Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:MFRM) may be in focus after the retailer of mattresses raised its earnings forecast, but cut same-store sales view.
Digital Generation Inc. (NASDAQ:DGIT) rallied 22.79 percent in premarket after the ad management company said it is exploring a strategic review, including a potential sale.
Global Markets:
European markets traded mixed, with Germany's DAX up 0.45 percent to trade at 6,595.20. France's CAC40 added 0.42 percent to trade at 3,193.18. U.K.'s FTSE 100 shed 0.38 percent to trade at 5,640.95.
Among Asian markets, China's Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index added 0.62 percent to close at 2,161.19. Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.35 percent to end at 8,755.00. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rallied 1.75 percent to end at 19,455.33. India's BSE Sensex finished at 17,105.30, up 0.01 percent.
Market Scan:
Ahead of the opening bell, crude oil futures gained 0.40 percent to $88.780 per barrel. Gold futures inched up 0.04 percent to $1,592.3 per ounce.
In the currency market, the euro traded 0.07 percent higher against the U.S. dollar at 1.2280 while the British pound slipped 0.11 percent against the greenback to 1.5619. The dollar added 0.37 percent against the Japanese yen to 79.1500.