Signs of a crumbling U.S. housing market, and worries the slump may hurt the overall economy, mean earnings from home builder Lennar Corp. will take center stage. Jabil Circuit Inc., a maker of electronic components for cell phones and computers, and U.S. payroll processor Paychex Inc. are also due to post results, but the main focus will stay on the wider macro-economic picture. By 0945 GMT, U.S. stock futures were pointing to opening losses of around 0.1 percent for the three main indexes On Monday, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.59 percent to end at 11,575.81, while the Standard & Poor's 500 Index climbed 0.88 percent at 1,326.37, its highest level in more than five years. The technology-rich Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 1.36 percent to close at 2,249.07. Investors will scour the August consumer confidence report and the Richmond Federal Reserve Bank's September manufacturing survey, both due at 1400 GMT, for clues on the magnitude of a slowdown in the world's biggest economy. "Traders are hoping the slump in energy prices will offset negativity from housing market concerns, prompting a substantial improvement in sentiment this month after hitting a 2006 low in August," said Martin Slaney, head of spread betting at GFT Global Markets in London. "A low figure, below the 103 expected by analysts, will rattle nerves of investors hoping for the increased optimism needed to stimulate spending and avoid a recession."
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