U.S. futures little changed ahead of ISM data; Dow Jones down 0.02%

Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to a steady open on Tuesday, as investors eyed the release of U.S. manufacturing activity data later in the day, after Federal Reserve Chairman signaled last week the possibility for fresh stimulus measures in the future.

Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.02% loss, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.10% fall, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.05% dip.

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said Friday that the central bank would act as needed to strengthen the U.S. economic recovery, but he stopped short of indicating that a fresh round of stimulus is imminent.

Meanwhile, sentiment remained mildly supported after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi indicated on Monday that he would be comfortable buying bonds with maturities of up to about three years, saying that it would not constitute state financing.

At its policy meeting on Thursday, the ECB is expected to announce the details of a long awaited debt-buying program designed to help ease funding pressures for indebted euro zone countries.

Apple was slated to be active on Tuesday, as shares climbed 0.43% in pre-market trade, amid reports discussions between the iPhone maker and Google over patent issues will not be easy.

Separately, Bloomberg reported earlier that an Internet company that filed a European Union antitrust complaint against Google said the company should tell users when it inserts its own products into search results as part of any settlement with antitrust regulators.

The pharmaceutical sector was also likely to be in focus, after Valeant, Canada’s largest publicly traded drugmaker, said on Monday that it will pay USD44 in cash for each share of Scottsdale, Arizona-based Medicis, which is 39% more than the stock’s August 31 closing price.

The transaction, which will expand a lineup of wrinkle treatments and skin-care products, is set to close in the first half of 2013. Valeant shares surged 7.28% in early trading.

Elsewhere in company news, Heckmann saw shares rise 2.60% pre-market, after saying it would buy privately-held environmental services firm Power Fuels for about USD380.5 million in cash and shares, to expand the waste water management group's footprint in the Bakken Shale basin, an unconventional oil shale.

Meanwhile, Xerox Corp and a wholly-owned unit that contracted with the U.S. state of Texas to process dental claim forms were reportedly being investigated to see if they helped allow dentists to submit higher-than-required bills under the state's Medicaid system, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Other stocks in focus included Campbell Soup and Smithfield Food, due to report earnings later in the day.

Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were lower. The EURO STOXX 50 fell 0.19%, France’s CAC 40 dropped 0.63%, Germany's DAX retreated 0.46%, while Britain's FTSE 100 tumbled 1.01%.

During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index slumped 0.66%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index dropped 0.1%.

Later in the day, the Institute for Supply Management was to release a report on U.S. manufacturing activity.