Stock futures steady amid earnings and deals

STEVE ROTHWELL

NEW YORK (AP) — Stock futures were little changed Tuesday ahead of a report on existing home sales. Companies are also reporting first-quarter earnings.

KEEPING SCORE: Dow Jones industrial average futures rose 12 points, or 0.1 percent, to 16,383 as of 8:58 a.m. Eastern time. Standard & Poor's 500 index futures were little changed at 1,865. Nasdaq futures rose eight points, or 0.2 percent, to 3,559.

HOME SALES SETBACK?: The National Association of Realtors reports on sales of existing homes in March. The report is scheduled for release Tuesday at 10 a.m. Eastern time. Economists forecast that sales slipped 0.7 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.57 million, according to a survey by FactSet. If that projection proves accurate, it would be slowest sales pace in 21 months. Analysts regard the health of the housing market as crucial for supporting consumer spending and the health of the U.S. economy.

BOTOX ACQUISITION: Allergan shares jumped $24.85, or 17.7 percent, to $166.80 in trading before the market open after Valeant Pharmaceuticals said that it had teamed up with activist investor Bill Ackman to make a bid for the Botox maker.

UNDERWOOD EFFECT: Netflix rose $28.51, or 8.2 percent, to $376.53 in premarket trading after the online video streaming service said its first-quarter earnings soared. Another season of the popular political drama "House of Cards" helped attract an additional 2.25 million subscribers to the Internet video service.

TREASURIES AND COMMODITIES: Bond prices were little changed from Monday. The yield on the 10-year note was at 2.72 percent. The price of oil fell $1.16, or 1.1 percent, to $102.45.