NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Stocks could get a lift at Tuesday's open from Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan saying he expects long-term interest rates to stay low as well as from a decline in oil prices.

U.S. stock futures were up in early trading, indicating a higher opening for stocks.

Treasury prices were higher, cutting the yield on the 10-year note to 3.93 percent from the 3.95 percent level late Monday.

In comments he made via satellite to a bankers conference in Beijing, Greenspan said that low long-term interest rates are not easy to explain, but not likely to change in the immediate future. He also said the narrowing spread between long-term and short-term rates does not necessarily signal an economic slowdown.

"One prominent hypothesis is that the markets are signaling economic weakness," he said. "This is certainly a credible notion. But periodic signs of buoyancy in some areas of the global economy have not arrested the fall in rates."

Oil prices, which fell below the $55 a barrel level in Monday trading, fell further in early trading Tuesday.

The July light crude contract lost 14 cents to $54.35 a barrel in electronic trading, while the July contract for Brent crude fell 14 cents to $53.53.

Major markets in Asia closed mostly lower Monday, while major European markets were higher in early trading.

Shares of consumer products company Procter & Gamble (Research) were slightly higher in Frankfurt trading early Tuesday after the companyreiterated earnings and sales targets after the market close Monday.

The dollar lost ground on the euro and but gained on the yen.

In corporate news, embattled automaker General Motors (Research) holds its shareholders' meeting Tuesday and its top executives are expected to face tough questions about its plans to stop losses in its core automaking operations.

After the market close Tuesday, chipmaker Texas Instruments (Research) is expected to give an update on its earnings and sales outlook for the quarter.

For a more detailed look at the markets before the open, click here.