Stock Futures Today

Futures for today (Tuesday) were up 63 points as investors keep an eye out for critical inflation data ahead of the Fed Open Market Committee's monetary policy meeting in December. In addition, remain in focus due to rising geopolitical concerns unfolding in the wake of the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks and military bombing campaigns across Syria by France and the United States as they target ISIL.

On Monday, the Dow gained more than 237 points as investors looked past the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks. French airstrikes in Syria and news the United States is targeting the oil infrastructure and trucks used by ISIS pushed oil prices up and snapped a three-day losing streak for the commodity.

Top News in the Stock Market Today

• The Stock Market Today: Investors will keep an eye on the monthly Consumer Price Index report and the October report on industrial production. In addition, two members of the U.S. Federal Reserve will give speeches on monetary policy.
• Hillary Clinton: Democratic presidential candidate and front-runner Hillary Clinton caused a stir during Saturday night's debate by stating that donations she accepted from Wall Street were related to rebuilding the financial sector in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. It was Clinton's latest attempt to distance herself from the millions of dollars in speeches she and her husband have earned from Wall Street banks. And now, it appears that the Clinton-Wall Street relationship has never been so obvious.
• Square IPO: The Square IPO will price tomorrow, Nov. 18. The deal is one of the most anticipated tech IPOs of the year. Square plans to raise up to $351 million by selling 27 million shares for $11 to $13 each. So, should you buy the Square IPO this week?
• Oil Outlook: This morning, oil prices were on the rise as expectations of a continued glut remain on traders' minds. December WTI oil prices added 0.1% to hit $41.75 per barrel, while Brent crude prices gained 0.7% to hit $44.84.

Earnings Outlook: HD, WMT, TJX, DKS, JACK, JASO, LZB

• Earnings Report No. 1, HD: Before the bell, Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) will report fiscal third-quarter earnings. The home retail giant is expected to report earnings per share (EPS) of $1.32 on revenue of $21.74 billion.
• Earnings Report No. 2, WMT: This morning, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) will report fiscal third-quarter earnings. Wall Street anticipates that the largest American retail firm will report an EPS of $0.98 on $117.64 billion. The report is especially intriguing based on news that Warren Buffett announced in a recent 13F filing that he had cut his stake in WMT stock in order to finance an acquisition in the third quarter.
• Additional companies reporting earnings include TJX Companies Inc. (NYSE: TJX), Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE: DKS), Jack in the Box Inc. (Nasdaq: JACK), JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (Nasdaq ADR: JASO), and La-Z-Boy Inc. (NYSE: LZB).

 Pre-Market Movers: P, GOOGL, AAPL, PYPL, EBAY, STZ

• Pre-Market Movers No. 1, PYPL: Shares of PayPal Inc. (Nasdaq: PYPL) continue to rise on news that activist investor Carl Icahn has built a 3.8% stake in the firm. The announcement indicates that Icahn exchanged his entire stake in online retailer and auction site eBay Inc. (Nasdaq: EBAY) for the same amount of shares in the digital payment processing company after the spin-off divided the two companies in July. Icahn has long been a supporter of PayPal and had pushed for the spin-off for some time.
• Pre-Market Movers No. 2, P: Shares of Pandora Media Inc. (NYSE: P) were up marginally in pre-market hours after the company announced it will purchase the assets of the now bankrupt Radio. The company plans to create its own on-demand music service to complement its online radio offering. The company will aim to compete against rivals like Spotify, Alphabet Inc. (Nasdaq:GOOG, GOOGL), and Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL).
• Pre-Market Movers No. 3, STZ: Shares of Constellation Brands Inc. (NYSE:STZ) were on the rise on news that it plans to purchase craft brewery Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits for $1 billion. The deal is the largest ever in the craft-beer industry.