Wall Street futures pointed moderately higher pre-bell Tuesday as global oil prices eased on media reports of rising Strait of Hormuz traffic, and as interest rates softened.

In futures, the S&P 500 rose 0.4%, the Nasdaq advanced 0.9%, and the Dow Jones was up 0.4%.

The VanEck Semiconductor fund (SMH) rose 1.8% in pre-bell action.

Chip colossus Nvidia (NVDA) gained 1.3% in pre-market moves, ahead of its earnings report slated for Wednesday.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil declined 3% to $82.46 a barrel in morning hours.

Asian exchanges traded mostly higher overnight, while European bourses tracked north midday on the continent.

Intuit (INTU) plans to report earnings after the close.

On the economic calendar are the Case-Shiller Home Price Index and FHFA House Price Index, both for June, at 9 am ET.

The Conference Board consumer confidence index for August, the new home sales bulletin for July, and the Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index for August log at 10 am.

Federal Reserve Richmond President Thomas Barkin is slated to speak later in the day.

In pre-market action, Bitcoin traded at $79,273, and 10-year US Treasuries offered 4.67%. Spot gold commanded $4,635 an ounce.