NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- U.S. stocks were expected to start Tuesday with gains, continuing the recent trek upward, with reports on real estate and consumer confidence on tap.
Dow Jones industrial average, S&P 500, 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.
Stocks finished higher Monday, pushing the Dow to its highest level in 18 months, after a report from the Commerce Department showed that consumer spending rose 0.3% in February.
"The market has had a pretty good run," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Jefferies & Co., adding that stocks have closed lower in only two of the last 25 trading days. "It looks like that pattern will continue into the early trade today."
He said Tuesday's economic reports will probably not be "market-moving events." However, he added that stocks have benefited recently from strength in commodity prices, such as crude oil and gold, which have been boosted by the weaker U.S. dollar.
Economy: Before the market open, the S&P/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index will be released. It is expected to have fallen 0.6% in January versus a year earlier, according to a consensus of economists surveyed by Briefing.com. In December, the index plunged 3.1%.
The Consumer Confidence index from the Conference Board, due after the opening bell, is expected to have risen to 51 in March from 46 in February, according to the Briefing.com consensus.
Companies: Shares of Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) surged to a fresh all-time high late Monday after The Wall Street Journal reported that the company is developing an iPhone for Verizon (VZ, Fortune 500). The iPhone is currently only available on the AT&T network.
The report, citing unnamed sources, said a new version of the iPhone should be ready for release this summer.
World markets: Asian stocks finished higher. In Japan, the Nikkei index gained 1%, and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 0.7%.
In Europe, Britain's FTSE 100, France's CAC 40 and Germany's DAX were little changed in active trading.
The dollar and commodities: The dollar eased against the euro and pound, and edged up against the yen.
U.S. light crude oil for May delivery gained 6 cents to $82.23 a barrel. The price of gold for April delivery slipped 20 cents an ounce to $1,110.10.
Bonds: Treasury prices rose, lowering the 10-year yield to 3.86% from 3.87% late Monday. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions. 
| Overnight Avg Rate | Latest | Change | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 yr fixed | 3.80% | 3.80% | |
| 15 yr fixed | 3.09% | 3.11% | |
| 5/1 ARM | 2.65% | 2.69% | |
| 30 yr refi | 3.77% | 3.86% | |
| 15 yr refi | 3.09% | 3.21% |
Today's featured rates:
| Index | Last | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dow | 12,454.83 | -74.92 | -0.60% |
| Nasdaq | 2,837.53 | -1.85 | -0.07% |
| S&P 500 | 1,317.82 | -2.86 | -0.22% |
| Treasuries | 1.74 | -0.01 | -0.80% |
| Company | Price | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of America Corp... | 7.15 | 0.01 | 0.14% |
| Sprint Nextel Corp | 2.62 | 0.09 | 3.56% |
| Cisco Systems Inc | 16.33 | -0.06 | -0.37% |
| Chesapeake Energy Co... | 15.81 | 0.23 | 1.48% |
| Ford Motor Co | 10.60 | 0.01 | 0.09% |
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