Futures Pointing To Slightly Lower Open On Wall Street

Market Overview - Stocks are expected to move lower in early trading on Tuesday after notable gains in the previous sessions, with S&P 500 futures down by 0.1 percent [1] - Major averages finished positively on Monday, with the Dow up 20.20 points to 50,135.87, the Nasdaq rising 207.46 points to 23,238.67, and the S&P 500 climbing 32.52 points to 6,964.82 [5] Retail Sales - U.S. retail sales were virtually unchanged in December, following a 0.6 percent increase in November, while economists had anticipated a 0.4 percent rise [2] - Excluding motor vehicle and parts dealers, retail sales remained unchanged in December after a 0.4 percent increase in November, with expectations for ex-auto sales to grow by 0.3 percent [2] Import and Export Prices - Import prices in the U.S. increased by 0.1 percent in December, aligning with estimates, while export prices rose by 0.3 percent, exceeding the expected 0.1 percent increase [3] International Markets - Asian stock markets mostly moved higher, with Japan's Nikkei 225 Index surging by 2.3 percent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index advancing by 0.6 percent [5] - European markets showed mixed performance, with the French CAC 40 Index up by 0.1 percent, while the German DAX Index and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index were down by 0.1 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively [6] Commodities - Crude oil futures rose by $0.21 to $64.57 a barrel, while gold futures slipped $4.80 to $5,074.60 an ounce after a previous surge [6] Currency Exchange - The U.S. dollar is trading at 154.84 yen, down from 155.86 yen, and at $1.1901 against the euro, compared to $1.1913 previously [7]