U.S. stock futures are holding steady, and American markets are close to surpassing all-time highs.
Here are 4 tips for today's trading. This will help you decide where you should invest and what to look for:
1. Markets are steady
1. Markets are steady
The market mood is cautious after a steady session on Monday.
The S&P 500 hit an all-time high of 2,185.54 points Monday morning, although it pulled back to end the day just a notch below Friday's closing record. The Dow Jones industrial average dipped 0.1% on Monday, while the Nasdaq ticked down 0.2%.
The Dow Jones industrial average is less than 100 points away from the record high it set last month. And the Nasdaq is closing in on the record it set in July 2015.
European markets are rising in early trading, though the gains are small. Asian markets are closing out the day with mixed results. India's main index dipped after the Reserve Bank of India left interest rates unchanged.
2. GBP slide on BoE stimulus message
2. GBP slide on BoE stimulus message
Writing in an opinion piece for the Times on Tuesday, Bank of England policymaker Ian McCafferty said more quantitative easing was likely to be required if the U.K.'s economic decline worsens.
The pound dropped to 1.2968, a level not seen since July 11 in wake of the dovish comments. It was last at 1.2978, down almost 0.5% on the day.
Meanwhile, the yield on the U.K. 10-year Gilt hit a record low of 0.592% before pulling back to 0.605%.
3. EU to cancel budget fines
3. EU to cancel budget fines
European Union states agreed to cancel budget fines for Spain and Portugal and to set new deadlines for them to rein in their excess deficits, their representative body in Brussels said on Tuesday.
The EU Council said in a statement that Spain would have two more years, until 2018, to bring the deficit below 3%. Portugal would have one more year, to 2016, to reduce its deficit to 2.5%.
4. Earnings
4. Earnings
One of the main companies reporting earnings Tuesday is Disney. The entertainment company could use some good news. Its stock is down 9% so far this year. A deadly alligator attack on a two-year old boy near a Walt Disney World hotel in June has bruised the company's cheery image.
Disney earnings are due after the closing bell, when Sun Life, Fossil and SolarCity - which is merging with Tesla, are also due to report.
Ahead of the open, investors will hear from Charter Communications, Coach, Tribune Media and Valeant Pharmaceuticals.
