06:58 AM EST, 12/17/2024 (MT Newswires) -- The benchmark US stocks were pointing mostly lower pre-bell on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average indicating another loss as traders awaited a retail sales report and the US central bank rate decisions.

Standard & Poor's 500 futures were down 0.3%, the Dow was pointing 0.4% lower after falling for eight straight days. The Nasdaq was little changed before the open. Asian and European bourses were taking mixed directions.

US retail sales will be released at 8:30 am ET, while the Federal Open Market Committee starts its two-day policy meeting. A 25 basis-point cut is a near certainty, according to the CME FedWatch tool.

Amentum (AMTM) plans to report earnings pre-bell, while Heico (HEI) and Worthington Enterprises (WOR) report after the close, among others. Nucor (NUE) was down 1.7% pre-bell after issuing quarterly earnings guidance below the current analyst outlook.

On the economic calendar, in addition to the retail sales report, is the industrial production bulletin for November at 9:15 am, the business inventories report for October at 10 am, and the housing market index for December, also at 10 am.

Before the opening bell, bitcoin rose 0.6% to $106,775, West Texas Intermediate crude fell 0.8% to $70.13 a barrel, yields on 10-year US Treasuries were up 3.1 basis points to 4.43% and gold dipped 0.6% to $2,655 an ounce.