U.S. futures pointed to a higher open on the Wall Street, buoyed by reports of an agreement among European Union members on a new fiscal pact. The sentiment is also boosted by hopes of a deal by the end of this week between Greece and its private lenders for a debt swap.
Mini Dow industrial average futures advanced 48 points to 12,650.00. The Nasdaq Futures gained 10.25 points to 2,472.25. Standard and Poor's 500 futures rose 6.10 points to 1,315.00.
On Monday, U.S. stocks trimmed earlier losses yet ended in red amid renewed worries about the financial situation in Europe, weighed by uncertainties over a Greek debt swap agreement.
Hot Stocks Of The Day: (LLY, RSH, HOLX, ALGN, PCL)
In pre-market trading on Tuesday, Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE:XOM) fell 0.8 percent, Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) inched 0.8 percent lower, Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE:LLY) advanced 3 percent, United Parcel Service Inc.(NYSE:UPS) gained 1.1 percent, Mattel Inc.(NASDAQ:MAT) rose 2.2 percent and McKesson Corp. (NYSE:MCK) gained 4.1 percent following their quarterly reports.
RadioShack Corp (NYSE:RSH) plunged nearly 30 percent in premarket after electronics retailer gave a weak fourth-quarter earnings guidance, citing under-performance of its Sprint wireless business. It sees earnings per share in the range of $0.11 to $0.13 from $0.51 a share in the year-ago period.
Align Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:ALGN) dropped 6.4 percent in premarket after the orthodontic-product manufacturer issued first-quarter forecast slightly below consensus.
Hologic Inc. (NASDAQ: HOLX) advanced 5.4 percent in premarket after the medical imaging systems supplier raised its full-year earnings forecast by $0.01 to around $1.36 to $1.38.
Plum Creek Timber Co. Inc. (NYSE:PCL) fell 4.2 percent in premarket after the timberland owner guided first quarter and 2012 below consensus. The company expects first-quarter earnings between $0.20 and $0.25 per share and 2012 income between $1.00 and $1.25 per share. Analysts expect earnings of $0.26 for the first quarter and $1.34 for the full year 2012. It said Southern log prices fell when unusually dry weather in 2011 caused a temporary expansion of log supplies.
Global Markets:
The European markets traded sharply higher, with Germany's DAX up 1.01 percent to trade at 6,509.52. France's CAC40 gained 1.42 percent to 3,312.07. Britain's FTSE 100 advanced 0.72 percent to 5,712.18.
Market Scan:
Ahead of the opening bell, crude oil gained 1.14 percent at $99.91 per barrel. Gold rose 0.73 percent to $1,747.0 per ounce.
In the currency market, the euro strengthened 0.21 percent against the U.S. dollar to 1.3173, and the British pound rose 0.35 percent against the greenback. The dollar edged 0.02 percent lower against the Japanese yen to 76.3283.