(By Balachander) U.S stock-index futures pointed to higher open on the Wall Street ahead of a set of reports on housing and consumer confidence amid fresh concerns about the global growth outlook.
Mini Dow Industrial Average futures rose 37 points to 13,526. The Nasdaq futures added 11.50 points to 2,849.75. Standard and Poor's 500 futures inched up 3.90 points to 1,455.30.
On the U.S. economic front, the Conference Board will release the consumer-confidence index for September at 10 am ET, with expectations of the reading to improve to 63.0 from 60.6.
The S&P/Case-Shiller House Price Index, which measures the change in the selling price of single-family homes in 20 metropolitan areas, is due at 9.00 am ET. The House Price Index (HPI), which is a measure of the movement of single-family house prices, is due at 10 am.
On Monday, U.S. stocks ended in red as lingering worries about the global economic growth dented sentiment.
Hot Stocks Of The Day: CAT, TSLA, YHOO, RHT, PAYX, CCL, JBL, SPLS, MTN, FDS
In corporate news,Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) retreated 1.95 percent in premarket after the maker of mining equipments expects earnings per share of $12 to $18 a share in 2015, versus $15 to $20 a share projected earlier. It forecasts revenues between $80 billion and $100 billion.
Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) tumbled 7.53 percent in premarket after the maker of electric vehicles updated its third quarter and 2012 revenue forecast, citing expected slower ramp in production and customer deliveries.
Yahoo! (NASDAQ:YHOO) Chief Executive Marissa Mayer is expected to announce her turnaround strategy for the ailing Internet giant, according to AllThingsDigital. Shares inched higher in premarket.
Red Hat Inc. (NYSE:RHT) shed 2.68 percent in premarket after the provider of open source software solutions posted a 12.4 percent decrease in quarterly earnings due to higher costs and expenses, trailing market expectations by a penny.
Paychex Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX) lost 3.43 percent in premarket after the payroll processor reported quarterly revenue that missed market expectations, while earnings came in-line.
FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) declined 2.72 percent in premarket after the company posted its fourth-quarter results and issued guidance for the first quarter.
Staples Inc. (NASDAQ:SPLS) may be in focus after the office products company announced a strategic plan to accelerate growth, including plans to close 45 stores in Europe. Staples expects a pre-tax cash charge of $145 million to $195 million by the end of this year.
Carnival Corp. (NYSE:CCL) is set to post its quarterly results before the market opens. Wall Street analysts expect the cruise ship company to earn $1.44 a share on revenue of $4.7 billion for the first quarter. Shares rose 1.49 percent in premarket.
Jabil Circuit (NYSE:JBL) is due to release its quarterly results after the markets close, with expectations of EPS of 58 cents on revenue of $4.22 billion. Shares added 1.22 percent in premarket.
Vail Resorts Inc. (NYSE:MTN) gained 2.52 percent in premarket after the company reported a narrower-than-expected fourth quarter loss as revenue rose.
Global Markets:
European markets traded mixed amid concerns over economic situation in Spain and Greece, with Germany's DAX down 0.14 percent to trade at 7,403.02. France's CAC40 shed 0.19 percent to trade at 3,490.43. U.K.'s FTSE 100 rose 0.11 percent to trade at 5,845.07.
Asian markets closed mixed, with China's Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index down 0.19 percent to finish at 2,029.29. Japan's Nikkei 225 added 0.25 percent to end at 9,091.54. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index inched up 0.02 percent to close at 20,698.68. India's BSE Sensex closed at 18,694.41, up 0.11 percent.
Commodity & Currency Scan:
Ahead of the opening bell, crude oil futures gained 0.92 percent to $92.78 per barrel. Gold futures advanced 0.27 percent to $1,769.3 per ounce.
In the currency market, the euro inched up 0.10 percent against the U.S. dollar to 1.2944 and the British pound rose 0.19 percent to 1.6249. The dollar slipped 0.09 percent against the Japanese yen to 77.7700.