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 * Copper prices hit two-week lows, while oil was down about 2
percent. Chinese government efforts to stimulate growth by easing
fiscal and monetary policy have yet to bear fruit.
* U.S. stocks ended higher on Monday, rebounding from losses late
last week with help from Apple and financial shares, but a drop in
biotech shares limited the advance.
* Investors are also looking for more clarity from the Federal
Reserve after its decision last week to hold interest rates at
near-zero levels.
* Fears of slowing growth in China sparked a sharp selloff in global
stock markets in recent weeks and the Fed's comments about the
global economy exacerbated those concerns.
* Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart said on Monday a rate hike
later this year was still possible and that the Fed, in recent
months, has added to the market instability and needs to refine its
communication approach.
* The dollar hit an almost two-week high against a basket of
currencies on Tuesday after the comments from Lockhart, a voting
member of the Federal Open Market Committee. He is scheduled to
speak later in the day.
* Particular attention will be paid to Chair Janet Yellen's speech
on Thursday at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
* Shares of Bank of America were down 1.7 percent at $15.44
premarket ahead of a shareholder vote on separating the bank's chief
executive and chairman roles.
* Freeport McMoRan was down 4 percent at $10.11 as the miner and
energy producer was hit by falling commodity prices.
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* Biotech companies were down for a second day after U.S. Democratic
presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said she would announce a
plan to stop "price gouging" for specialty drugs. Gilead fell 1.2
percent and Biogen fell 2 percent.
Futures snapshot at 6:58 a.m. ET (1058 GMT):
* S&P 500 e-minis were down 28.75 points, or 1.46 percent, with
251,193 contracts traded.
* Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 77 points, or 1.77 percent, on volume
of 49,059 contracts.
* Dow e-minis were down 233 points, or 1.42 percent, with 38,305
contracts changing hands.
(Reporting by Tanya Agrawal in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)
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