Stocks are pointing to a slightly lower market opening as investors await news on U.S. consumer confidence and home prices.
Ahead of the opening bell, Dow Jones industrial average futures are down 49, or 0.4 percent, at 10, 980. Standard & Poor's 500 futures are down 7, or 0.6 percent, at 1,180. Nasdaq 100 futures are down 16, or 0.7 percent, at 2,130.
Canada's economy disappointed in the third quarter with the weakest growth rate in a year. Gross domestic product growth slowed to a 1.0 percent annual rate in the July-September period, Statistics Canada said. That fell short of market predictions of 1.4 percent growth and was down from a revised 2.3 percent in the second quarter and 5.6 percent in the first quarter.
In the U.S., Standard & Poor's releases its S&P/Case-Shiller index of home prices for September later Tuesday morning. Economists expect home prices rose 1 percent from September 2009, in the smallest year-over-year increase since February.
The Conference Board's monthly report on consumer confidence is expected to show that Americans' mood improved a bit in November amid more hopeful signs for the economy. Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters predict that the index will rise to 52.0 in November, up from 50.2 in October. It takes a reading of 90 to indicate a healthy economy, a level not approached since the recession began in December 2007.
Overseas, worries that Portugal or possibly Spain will have to seek outside help to deal with their debts continued to worry investors. The euro briefly fell below $1.30 (U.S.) for the first time since mid-September. Asian markets fell on growing expectations that China will have to raise interest rates to keep inflation in check.
European markets were mixed. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was down 0.2 percent, while Germany's DAX rose 0.2 percent.
Japan's Nikkei fell 1.9 percent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.7 percent.
Gold climbed and set fresh record highs in euro terms, benefiting from safe-haven buying. Spot gold was up 0.37 percent at $1,373.10 an ounce at 1114 GMT. Gold futures were 0.5 percent higher at $1,373. In euro terms, gold was trading at 1,054.17 euros an ounce, off a record high set earlier in the session of 1,058.70 euros.
Benchmark oil for January delivery was down 45 cents to $85.28 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $1.97 to settle at $85.73 on Monday.
The Canadian dollar opened at 98.09 cents (U.S.).