U.S. futures lower as Fed tapering still in focus; Dow Jones down 0.12%

U.S. stock futures pointed to a lower open on Tuesday, as investors remained cautious amid growing expectations for the Federal Reserve to begin tapering its stimulus program before the year end. 

Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.12% loss, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.22% decline, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.20% fall. 

Markets were jittery after official data last week showed that the U.S. economy added 204,000 jobs in October, far more than the 125,000 forecast by economists. 

The upbeat data spurred heightened speculation that the Fed may start winding down its USD85 billion-a-month asset purchase program as soon as its next monthly meeting in December. 

Richard Fisher, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, said on Tuesday that the Fed's stimulus program could not continue forever. 

In earnings news, late Monday News Corp. reported a 2.8% decline in first-quarter revenue, hurt by lower demand for print advertising, sending shares down 1.55% in after-hour trade. 

In the tech sector, Apple shares edged down 0.08% in late trading as the company was preparing to face a trial over claims by a California inventor that a patent he holds covers key features of the iPhone. 

Separately, the tech giant was set for the retrial of a court fight against Samsung Electronics in which the iPhone maker could reportedly seek to obtain over USD411 million in damages a judge cut from a USD1.05 billion jury award in 2012 over patents. 

The telecom sector was also expected to be active, after T-Mobile US said it plans to sell shares valued at almost USD1.8 billion, raising money it could use to acquire wireless airwaves. 

Other companies likely to be in focus included MBIA, Potbelly and Babcock and Wilcox, scheduled to report quarterly results later in the day. 

Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were lower. The EURO STOXX 50 declined 0.42%, France’s CAC 40 slid 0.33%, Germany's DAX fell 0.27%, while Britain's FTSE 100 shed 0.28%.

During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dropped 0.73%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index surged 2.23%.