NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- U.S. stocks were set for a lower open Tuesday, as investors awaited minutes from the Federal Reserve's most recent policy meeting and looked ahead to the first big batch of third-quarter results.
Dow Jones industrial average (INDU), S&P 500 (SPX) and Nasdaq (COMP) futures were lower ahead of the opening bell. Futures measure current index values against perceived future performance.
Stocks ended with single-digit gains Monday, with the Dow closing above the key 11,000 level for a second straight session. Markets found stronger support earlier in the day amid ongoing speculation that the Federal Reserve will take steps to stimulate the economy, but pared those gains in the afternoon.
Investors are hoping to get more insight into what the Fed may do when the central bank releases minutes from its most recent policy meeting Tuesday afternoon.
"Investors will be taking a hard look at the Fed minutes to get a feel for how accommodative the Fed really wants to be," said Anthony Conroy, head trader at BNY ConvergEx Group. "But there are a lot of other moving parts. Earnings are swinging into full gear and will also dictate the direction of the market."
Leading chipmaker Intel (INTC, Fortune 500) reports after the closing bell Tuesday and is the first of three Dow components to deliver results this week.
Dow companies JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500) and General Electric (GE, Fortune 500) are also on tap to report this week, as is Google (GOOG, Fortune 500).
Economy: The Federal Reserve will release the minutes from its most recent policy-setting meeting, and traders will be looking for clues as to how the central bank will act at its next meeting in early November.
There is much speculation that the Fed will expand its so-called policy of quantitative easing in November by announcing a new round of asset purchases. But investors were spooked after Federal Reserve's new vice chairwoman Janet Yellen warned a roomful of economists Monday of the risks associated with its easy monetary policy.
Kansas City Fed president Thomas Hoenig will speak Tuesday at 11:45 a.m. ET on the economic outlook and monetary policy at the National Association for Business Economics meeting in Denver. He is the only member of the Fed's policymaking committee who has voted against the Fed's decision to keep reiterating that it will hold interest rates low for an "extended period."
Companies: Drugmaker Pfizer (PFE, Fortune 500) announced it is buying King Pharmaceuticals (KG) for $3.6 billion, or $14.25 per share. Shares of Pfizer slipped 0.3% in premarket trading, and King Pharmaceutical's stock spiked 39.3%.
Google said it has agreed to invest in a proposed$5 billion transmission system that will connect offshore wind farms built along a 350-mile stretch between New Jersey and Virginia. Google's stock was flat in premarket trading.
Gap (GPS, Fortune 500) said it is reverting to its classic logo, after a new logo it debuted on its website ignited a customer backlash.
After the closing bell, Intel will report its third-quarter results. The company is expected to have earned 50 cents per share, up from 33 cents a year earlier, on revenue of $11 billion, according to analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. The stock was essentially unchanged in premarket trading.
Walmart (WMT, Fortune 500) finance chief Charles Holley will speak at a two-day investor conference Tuesday morning. The company just unveiled plans to start selling the iPad come February. The retailer's performance is considered a key measure of consumer spending and the overall health of the economy
Transportation company CSX (CSX, Fortune 500) will also post quarterly results.
World markets: European stocks eased in afternoon trading. Britain's FTSE 100 lost 0.7% and the DAX in Germany was down 0.5%. France's CAC 40 tumbled 1.2%.
Asian markets ended the session mixed. The Shanghai Composite rose about 1.2%, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong slipped 0.4%. Japan's Nikkei sank 2.1%.
Large Chinese banks dropped in Shanghai and Hong Kong after Reuters reported that China has temporarily raised reserve requirements on six banks as it tries to temper inflation and sustain the recovery.
Currencies and commodities: The dollar rose against the euro and the British pound but fell against the Japanese yen.
Oil for November delivery slipped 85 cents to $81.36 a barrel.
Gold futures for December delivery dropped $8.80 to $1,345.60 an ounce.
Bonds: The price rose on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury, pushing down the yield to 2.35 from 2.38% late Friday. The bond market was closed Monday for Columbus Day. 
| 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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