Stock futures were near flat Tuesday as investors looked to the final days of what's been a difficult August for the market.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials dipped 10 points to 34,584.
Futures for the S&P 500 fell 2.25 points, or 0.1%, to 4,440.
Futures for the NASDAQ slid 15.5 points, or 0.1%, to 15,077.
The moves follow a winning day on Wall Street, a rarity in recent weeks. The S&P 500 gained 0.6% and NASDAQ climbed 0.8%.
The Dow finished more than 200 points higher, which equates to a gain of about 0.6%. 3M helped the blue-chip average in the session, rallying more than 5% a day after Bloomberg News cited sources saying the conglomerate was ready to settle lawsuits that alleged some of its earplugs were faulty.
But Monday's leg up can be characterized as a respite from what's shaping up to be a tough month for stocks. With just three sessions left in August's trading month, the Dow is on pace to finish 2.8% lower. The S&P 500 is poised for a loss of 3.4%, while the NASDAQ is set for a loss of 4.5%.
Investors will watch for earnings from companies including Best Buy and Nio before the bell Tuesday, followed by HP after the close. Data on home prices, job openings and consumer confidence will also be due Tuesday morning.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index gained 0.2% Tuesday, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng catapulted 2%.
Oil prices jumped 66 cents to $80.76 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices subsided 80 cents to $1,946 U.S. an ounce.