Near 8:30 am ET, Dow futures were up 85 points, S&P 500 futures were up 8 points, and Nasdaq futures were up 21 points.
On Monday, stocks fell again, losing ground for the fifth time in seven trading days. Ahead of Monday's market open, futures were also higher, and the market hit session highs right at the open before quickly giving up all of those gains and trading in negative territory for most all of the day.
On Tuesday, the price of oil was falling again, with West Texas Intermediate crude slipping below $45 a barrel for the first time since April 2009 as the commodity just cannot find a bottom.
About two months ago, WTI was trading near $75.
Tuesday is set to see the release of the latest NFIB report on small business and the November JOLTS report, which is one of Fed Chair Janet Yellen's favorite economic indicators.