Stocks: Housing in focus

U.S. stocks were headed for a lower open Tuesday as Asian and European markets lost ground and investors digest new data on the housing market.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU), S&P 500 (SPX) and Nasdaq (COMP) futures fell about 0.6%. Stock futures indicate the possible direction of the markets when they open at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Investors will be watching for clues about the direction of the U.S. economy in comments from senior policymakers, while taking a look at new housing data.