LONDON (ShareCast) - US stock future slipped on Tuesday, weighed by losses in European and Asian markets as investors cut exposure to risk ahead of key economic data.
The front month Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were off by 0.5% at 17763 while the corresponding S&P500 futures fell 0.6% to 2063.


US Treasuries were little changed with yields on the 10 year paper up 5 basis points at 1.95%. The US dollar rose against rivals with the Dollar Index up 0.6% at 98.54. Nymex crude futures fell 2% to $48.18 per barrel.


Wall Street produced respectable gains on Monday, spurred by dovish comments from Federal Reserve chair Yellen on Friday and Monday's remarks over more easing by China's central-bank chief and.


Those gains were vulnerable on Tuesday however as traders turned attention to economic data for more clues over the Fed's stance on policies together with some position squaring and profit taking as today marks the end of the first quarter.


Attention will be on the S&P Case-Shiller home price index. The latest reading is expected to show that home prices in 20 US cities accelerated in January from a month earlier. After that, the US Conference Board will report on consumer confidence for March, which is expected to be largely unchanged from the previous month.

Earlier, Richmond Fed head Lacker, said there was a "strong" case for the Fed to raise interest rates as early as June as he expects solid growth and increasing inflation. "I expect that, unless incoming economic reports diverge substantially from projections, the case for raising rates will remain strong at the June meeting," he said on Tuesday.

More Fed-talk will be eyed with two voting members on the Federal Open Market Committee, Richmond Fed Jeffrey and Atlanta Fed President Lockhart due to speak. Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester, a nonvoting member, will moderate a panel on the future of banking at an Atlanta Fed conference.


In company news, McDonald's Corp was in focus after the fast-food giant said it would start testing all-day breakfasts in San Diego in April.


IBM Corp said on Tuesday it plans to invest $3 billion in a new "Internet of Things" business that will help customers gather and analyse data from sensor-equipped devices and smartphones.


Property giant CBRE Group on Tuesday said it would buy Johnson Controls' workplace solutions business in a deal worth $1.475bn.

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