NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- U.S. stocks were set to rise Tuesday, as investors returned from a holiday weekend to see two Dow components post earnings results.
Dow Jones industrial average, S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures were higher.
Futures measure current index values against perceived future performance and offer an indication of how markets may open when trading begins in New York.
U.S. markets were closed Monday for Presidents Day.
The week ahead will demonstrate whether lingering concerns about Greek and Chinese markets will continue to hamper U.S. trading.
Philip Isherwood, equities strategist at Evolution Securities in London, said the concerns about Greek debt and Chinese reserve tightening are being balanced by the growing strength of fourth-quarter earnings.
"The ongoing theme for most of the fourth-quarter (corporate results) season has been pretty good," said Isherwood. "We're about three quarters of the way through it now, with most of the companies announcing positively."
This has helped positive sentiment take hold of the European markets and U.S. pre-market trading, he said.
"The markets were pushing for some action; they're starting to see some action," he said.
Earnings: Two Dow components released results before the open.
Drugmaker Merck (MRK, Fortune 500) announced earnings of 79 cents per share, excluding certain items. That matched a the forecast consensus of analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters.
Cheese maker Kraft Foods (KFT, Fortune 500) beat expectations with its fourth-quarter diluted earnings of 48 cents per share. Analysts had expected EPS of 45 cents, according to the Thomson Reuters consensus.
World markets: Major indexes in Europe rallied in morning trading. Japan's Nikkei also finished the session in positive territory, gaining 0.2%.
Gold and oil: The price of gold jumped $22.80 per ounce to $1,112.30. The price of oil rose $1.21 per barrel to $75.34.
Cash and bonds: The dollar slipped versus the yen, the euro and the pound. The price of the 10-year note rose, driving down the yield to 3.7%. 
| Overnight Avg Rate | Latest | Change | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 yr fixed | 3.80% | 3.88% | |
| 15 yr fixed | 3.20% | 3.23% | |
| 5/1 ARM | 3.84% | 3.88% | |
| 30 yr refi | 3.82% | 3.93% | |
| 15 yr refi | 3.20% | 3.23% |
Today's featured rates:
| Index | Last | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dow | 32,627.97 | -234.33 | -0.71% |
| Nasdaq | 13,215.24 | 99.07 | 0.76% |
| S&P 500 | 3,913.10 | -2.36 | -0.06% |
| Treasuries | 1.73 | 0.00 | 0.12% |
| Company | Price | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Motor Co | 8.29 | 0.05 | 0.61% |
| Advanced Micro Devic... | 54.59 | 0.70 | 1.30% |
| Cisco Systems Inc | 47.49 | -2.44 | -4.89% |
| General Electric Co | 13.00 | -0.16 | -1.22% |
| Kraft Heinz Co | 27.84 | -2.20 | -7.32% |
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