Stock futures point to a higher opening on Tuesday, ahead of earnings reports from Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE: WMT) and Saks Inc. (NYSE: SKS [FREE Stock Trend Analysis]), as well as US industrial production data. The Dow futures are up 65 points to 10,338, NASDAQ 100 futures are up 11.75 points to 1,831.75 and the S&P 500 futures are up 8.50 points to 1,085.6. Investors and the Wall Street community expect Wal-Mart to report its 2Q EPS at $0.96. According to Ben Potter, market strategist at IG Markets, "Earnings news from Wal-Mart in the U.S. will be a highlight for many -- the retail giant acting as an economic barometer in its own right." Others in the retail space, such as Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) and Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF), are expected to announce results before the market opens. On the economy front, data on housing starts and producer prices for July are due at 8:30 am EST, followed by the report on industrial production at 9:15 am EST. Elsewhere, European stocks posted gains, with the Stoxx Europe 600 index (ST: SXXP) rising 0.5% in intraday trade. The US Dollar Index (DXY) shed almost 0.4% to $82.207. ANF closed at $38.00, up 0.98% in after hours trading yesterday. SKS closed at $7.62, up 0.13% in after hours. WMT closed at $50.41 and HD closed at $27.45, up 0.26% in after hours trading.

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