Stocks set to open higher ahead of data

Melly Alazraki
Updated

U.S. stock futures were higher Tuesday morning, indicating Wall Street is poised for a higher open on the last trading day of the quarter. Still, markets are likely to finish the quarter with double-digit losses. After Monday's steep declines on auto sector woes, today investors will focus on data and the upcoming G-20 meeting attended by President Obama.

A slew of data is due today:

  • March Consumer Confidence, due at 9:00 AM, is actually expected to inrease compared to February

  • January S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index, also due at 9:00 AM, is expected to decline 18.6 percent

  • March Chicago PMI, which is a Chicago-area manufacturing gauge due at 9:45 AM, also is expected to show slight improvement.

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