S&P 500 futures added four points, or 0.2%, to 2099. E-mini Dow futures gained 44 points, or 0.2%, to 18060, and e-mini Nasdaq-100 futures gained nine points, or 0.2%, to 4446.
Stocks inched lower Monday, with the Dow industrials falling 0.1% to 18116.04. The S&P 500 fell 0.2% to 2104.42.
Economic reports are likely to drive action in coming days, as investors wait for the first-quarter earnings season to kick off and further updates on monetary policy from the Federal Reserve. That could lead to muted moves in the market, especially with stocks hovering near all-time highs, analysts said. "We're still digesting the news from last week, particularly in regard to the Fed and the ongoing question of whether they're going to raise rates in June or later," said Colin Cieszynski, chief market strategist at CMC Markets.
Tuesday's data on consumer prices could spur market moves as investors continue to bet on when the Fed will begin to raise short-term rates, Mr. Cieszynski added. The consumer-price index is expected to rise 0.2% in February, according to economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal.
"If core inflation comes in weak, then it continues to take pressure off the Fed to raise interest rates because they have their dual mandate of containing inflation and boosting employment," said Mr. Cieszynski. "If inflation stays benign, they don't have to move immediately," he added.
In commodity markets, crude-oil futures rose 0.3% to $47.58 a barrel. Gold futures added 0.4% to $1192.30 an ounce.
Treasury prices rose, pushing the 10-year yield down to 1.902% from 1.916% on Monday.
European stocks rose. France's CAC 40 added 0.3%, and Germany's DAX gained 0.2%. Investors eyed data showing the eurozone's economic recovery gained momentum in March. Data firm Markit's composite purchasing managers index, which measures activity in the manufacturing and services sectors, rose to a 46-month high of 54.1 this month from 53.3 in February.
At the same time, economic reports are pointing to a further slowdown in Chinese economic growth, with an indicator of factory activity falling to an 11-month low in March. The preliminary HSBC China manufacturing purchasing managers index fell to 49.2 in March, compared with a final reading of 50.7 in February. A reading below 50 indicates contraction.
In corporate news, McCormick & Co. said its earnings fell 15%, adding that a stronger U.S. dollar weighed on sales growth in the quarter ended February. Still, the company affirmed its full-year outlook for per-share adjusted profits. Shares rose 2.5% premarket.
Linn Energy LLC said it has teamed up with private-equity firm Quantum Energy Partners to make acquisitions in the oil-and-gas space. Linn shares advanced 3.9% premarket.
Write to Saumya Vaishampayan at saumya.vaishampayan@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 24, 2015 08:30 ET (12:30 GMT)
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