U.S. stock futures pointed to a higher open Tuesday as oil rallied, with the S&P 500 and Dow looking to end a two-day retreat.
The stock market is due to digest fresh readings on home prices, consumer confidence and U.S. trade.
S&P 500 futures ESH6, +0.38% rose 8.95 points, or 0.4%, to 2,057.75, while those for the Dow Jones Industrial Average YMH6, +0.44% tacked on 86 points, or 0.5%, to 17,524. Nasdaq 100 futures NQH6, +0.45% moved up by 24.75 points, or 0.5%, to 4,638.50.
On Monday, stocks finished lower, weighed down by drops in energy names and crude prices. With just three trading days left in 2015, the S&P SPX, -0.22% has declined 0.1% in the year to date as of Monday’s close, while the Dow DJIA, -0.14% has fallen 1.7% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite COMP, -0.15% is up 6.4%.
See: When do markets around the world close on New Year’s Eve?
For the new year, 10 Wall Street analysts polled by MarketWatch have an average year-end S&P target of 2,193. That implies a gain of 6.6% from Monday’s close at 2,056.50.
Other markets: European equities SXXP, +0.79% are trading higher, and Asian markets finished with gains, led by Australia. The U.S. oil benchmark CLG6, +0.27% is up about 0.4%, and Brent crude LCOG6, +0.27% is moving up by 0.5%. A key dollar index DXY, +0.07% and gold futures GCG6, +0.05% are both little changed.
Individual movers: Shares in Willis Group Holding PLC WSH, +0.28% and Towers Watson & Co. TW, +0.42% — which are merging together — could gain in Tuesday’s session after S&P Dow Jones Indices announced late Monday that Willis Tower Watson would join the S&P 500.
Pep Boys PBY, -0.57% may jump following news late Monday that billionaire investor Carl Icahn has raised his bid for the car parts and repair chain to value it at $1 billion.
Economic news: At 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, investors are slated to take in a November report on U.S. international trade in goods. A report on October home prices from S&P/Case-Shiller is due at 9 a.m., followed at 10 a.m. by a December reading for the Conference Board’s consumer confidence index.
