US pre-open: Stocks seen lower as investors eye Comey testimony

US futures pointed to a slightly weaker open on Wall Street on Tuesday amid growing geopolitical concerns and ahead of a testimony to the Senate panel by former FBI boss James Comey later in the week.

At 1140 BST, Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq futures were down 0.2%, while S&P 500 futures were off 0.2%.

Geopolitical concerns were firmly on investors' minds as Qatar's rift with Arab states escalated after Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE cut diplomatic links with the country due to its links with terrorism. Market participants were also jittery ahead of Comey's testimony on Thursday about Russian interference in the US presidential election, while a European Central Bank meeting and the UK general election are also scheduled for that day.

Spreadex analyst Connor Campbell said: "The Dow Jones is set to open 30 points lower, pushing the US index back towards 21150. In the same way UK investors are waiting in anticipation for the election results at the end of the week, their US counterparts may be feeling a bit jittery ahead of former FBI chief James Comey’s testimony on Thursday, an event that poses the biggest threat yet to the Trump presidency."

On the corporate front, Apple shares were a touch higher in pre-market trade after the technology giant unveiled its HomePod smart speaker, recovering from losses in the previous session when it was downgraded by Pacific Crest.

Elsewhere, Amazon.com was likely to be in focus after it dropped the price of its Prime membership for low income shoppers.

21st Century Fox was also likely to be active following reports it is buying mobile game maker Aftershock.

On the macroeconomic calendar, JOLTS job openings are at 1500 BST.