Stocks set for early gains

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — U.S. stock futures were higher early Tuesday, signaling a stronger opening for Wall Street, ahead of economic reports on housing and consumer confidence.

Dow Jones industrial average (INDU), S&P 500 (SPX) and Nasdaq (COMP) futures were modestly higher ahead of the opening bell. Futures measure current index values against perceived future performance.

U.S. stocks finished slightly lower Monday, snapping a three-day winning streak, after drifting into the red during the final hour of trading. Indexes had spent most of the session in positive territory, though volumes remained lackluster as cautious investors continued to focus on global developments.

Monday night, President Barack Obama rejected criticism of his decision to commit U.S. forces to the U.N.-authorized military mission in Libya, saying there were strategic and moral reasons to act against Moammar Gadhafi.

In Japan, workers at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant struggled to keep reactors cool and prevent radioactive water from leaking into the ocean.

Meanwhile, investors are looking to the end of the week, when the government will release its key snapshot of the nation’s job market.

Friday’s monthly hiring and unemployment report from the Labor Department is expected to show the economy added 185,000 jobs in March, while the unemployment rate remained steady at 8.9%, according to economists surveyed by Briefing.com.

Economy: On tap before the start of trade is the S&P Case-Shiller home price index of 20 major cities for January. Home prices are expected to be down 3.3% in the month, according to economists surveyed by Briefing.com.

After the start of trade, the Conference Board will release March consumer confidence figures. Turbulence in the oil markets and concern over the Japanese nuclear crisis are expected to have dented sentiment considerably. Economists are looking for consumer confidence to fall to a reading of 65, down from 70.4 in February.

World markets: European stocks fell in morning trading. Britain’s FTSE 100 edged lower 0.2%, the DAX in Germany sank 0.7% and France’s CAC 40 tumbled 0.5%.

Asian markets ended the session lower. The Shanghai Composite fell 0.9% and Japan’s Nikkei slid 0.2%, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong ended little changed.

Currencies and commodities: The dollar fell against the euro and the British pound, but was steady versus the Japanese yen.

Oil for May delivery slipped 62 cents to $103.36 a barrel.

Gold futures for April delivery fell $6.50 to $1,413.40 an ounce.

Bonds: The price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury was steady, with the yield unchanged from Monday at 3.45%.