Investors eye earnings
Futures slip ahead of results from Bank of America, Merck; crude hits record high above $117 a barrel.
LONDON (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks were poised to struggle at Monday's open, as investors braced for another batch of corporate earnings.
At 4:34 a.m. ET, Nasdaq and S&P futures were higher, although a comparison to fair value pointed to a negative open for Wall Street.
Stocks rallied last week, even as quarterly results came in mixed. Another wave of companies are due to report this week.
Dow components Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500) and Merck (MRK, Fortune 500) kick off the week. Both slated to post results before the opening bell.
In the tech sector, investors will be watching results from Yahoo (YHOO, Fortune 500), which is facing a takeover bid from Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500). Yahoo is due to post results Tuesday.
Crude prices spiked to yet another record. Light, sweet crude for May delivery rose 51 cents to $117.40 a barrel in electronic trading.
In global trade, Japan stocks rose. Major markets in Europe dipped in early trading. 
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