Johnson & Johnson earnings to be closely watched in Tuesday trading; Intel results awaited.
The bulls' hold on Wall Street sentiment gets a test Tuesday, with investors awaiting a wave of quarterly results that includes Johnson & Johnson and Intel.
At 5:30 a.m. ET, futures pointed to a mixed start for the major indexes.
Before trading begins, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ: Research, Estimates), the maker of healthcare products such as Band-Aids and Tylenol, is expected to post earnings of 68 cents a share, up from 57 cents a year earlier, according to a consensus of analysts surveyed by First Call. Among U.S. stocks trading in Europe, J&J shares were up 1 percent.
Also due before the opening bell are banker Bank of America (BAC: Research, Estimates), USA Today publisher Gannett (GCI: Research, Estimates) and brokerage Merrill Lynch (MER: Research, Estimates).
After the close comes the closely watched earnings of No. 1 chip maker Intel (INTC: Research, Estimates). The company's profit is expected to report profit of 23 cents a share, up from 11 cents a share a year earlier. Intel's comments after the report will be scrutinized for comments about the outlook for the semiconductor industry for the rest of the year and into 2004.
Intel was up nearly 2 percent in European trading Tuesday.
Sparked in part by Motorola's strong quarterly results, the Dow Jones industrial average started the week with a 0.9 percent gain to finish at a 16-month high. The Nasdaq composite index gained 1 percent to end at a 19-month high.
Asian-Pacific stocks ended mixed Tuesday, with Tokyo's Nikkei index up 1.7 percent but other markets closing lower. European stocks started with declines. (Check the latest on world markets)
Treasury prices retreated in early trading, sending the 10-year note yield up to 4.31 percent from 4.27 percent late Friday; the Treasury market was closed Monday for the Columbus Day holiday. The dollar rallied against the yen and euro.
Brent oil futures pulled back 31 cents to $29.88 a barrel in London, where gold was higher in early trading.
The bulls' hold on Wall Street sentiment gets a test Tuesday, with investors awaiting a wave of quarterly results that includes Johnson & Johnson and Intel.
At 5:30 a.m. ET, futures pointed to a mixed start for the major indexes.
Before trading begins, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ: Research, Estimates), the maker of healthcare products such as Band-Aids and Tylenol, is expected to post earnings of 68 cents a share, up from 57 cents a year earlier, according to a consensus of analysts surveyed by First Call. Among U.S. stocks trading in Europe, J&J shares were up 1 percent.
Also due before the opening bell are banker Bank of America (BAC: Research, Estimates), USA Today publisher Gannett (GCI: Research, Estimates) and brokerage Merrill Lynch (MER: Research, Estimates).
After the close comes the closely watched earnings of No. 1 chip maker Intel (INTC: Research, Estimates). The company's profit is expected to report profit of 23 cents a share, up from 11 cents a share a year earlier. Intel's comments after the report will be scrutinized for comments about the outlook for the semiconductor industry for the rest of the year and into 2004.
Intel was up nearly 2 percent in European trading Tuesday.
Sparked in part by Motorola's strong quarterly results, the Dow Jones industrial average started the week with a 0.9 percent gain to finish at a 16-month high. The Nasdaq composite index gained 1 percent to end at a 19-month high.
Asian-Pacific stocks ended mixed Tuesday, with Tokyo's Nikkei index up 1.7 percent but other markets closing lower. European stocks started with declines. (Check the latest on world markets)
Treasury prices retreated in early trading, sending the 10-year note yield up to 4.31 percent from 4.27 percent late Friday; the Treasury market was closed Monday for the Columbus Day holiday. The dollar rallied against the yen and euro.
Brent oil futures pulled back 31 cents to $29.88 a barrel in London, where gold was higher in early trading.
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