Stock futures pointed to a firmer Wall Street start on Tuesday, with futures for the Dow Jones industrial average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 up 0.4 to 0.5 percent at 5:20 a.m. EST. Highlights: * The Federal Open Market Committee releases minutes at 2 p.m. EST from its December 16 meeting, when it cut its benchmark interest rate to a range of zero to 0.25 percent. The market expects details on quantitative easing measures. Last week, the Fed set a goal of buying $500 billion in mortgage-backed securities by mid-2009 as part of a sustained effort to help the United States weather a financial crisis that has tipped the economy into recession. * New orders received by U.S. factories are expected to have fallen at about half the rate they did in October, notching their fourth straight monthly decline. Factory orders are seen sinking 2.5 percent, after plunging 5.1 percent in the previous month. * Lighting maker Acuity Brands (AYI.N) reports results. Shares have been clobbered in recent months along with other companies with exposure to the rapidly-deteriorating non-residential construction market. * Shares of LDK Solar Co Ltd (LDK.N) fell nearly 12 percent to $13.38 in extended trade on Monday after the company said its fiscal 2009 results would be hurt by lower average selling prices for its solar modules. The company also revised its fourth quarter 2008 revenue forecast to $425 million to $435 million down from its previous outlook of $555 million to $565 million.

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