Stocks are pointed to early gains ahead of reports on home prices and consumer confidence that could bring further signs that the economy is improving.
The Conference Board is expected to announce that consumers are feeling more confident about the economy for the third straight month.
Analysts expect the index to rise to 55.8 in December.
That would be an improvement over November, but still far below the
reading of 90 that indicates a healthy economy.
Also on Tuesday morning, Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller will issue its 20-city monthly index of home prices for October.
Ahead of the opening bell, Dow Jones industrial average futures are up 9 points, or 0.1 percent, to 11,524. S&P 500 futures are up 3, or 0.2 percent, to 1,256. Nasdaq composite futures are up 4, or 0.2 percent, to 2,234.
