Stocks Seen Higher at Open; Oil Dips NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks looked to open slightly higher on Tuesday, helped by weakening oil prices and news of a possible merger between Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) and cardiovascular device maker Guidant Corp. (GDT.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) . In what would be the third-biggest M&A deal in the United States this year, J&J is in advanced talks to buy Guidant for more than $24 billion, according to a report in the New York Times. Wall Street will also be watching for tech sector news from analyst meetings at Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO.O: Quote , Profile , Research ) , Intel Corp. (INTC.O: Quote , Profile , Research ) and Hewlett Packard Co. (HPQ.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) , while Texas Instruments (TXN.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) gives a mid-quarter update. Yum Brands Inc. (YUM.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) , parent of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco-Bell fast food chains, also holds an analyst meeting, while third-quarter results are due from grocery chain Kroger Co. (KR.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) . S&P 500 futures were up 1.8 points, slightly above fair value accounting for interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial index futures rose 14 points, while Nasdaq futures gained 2.5 points. "With oil prices back down and a little excitement on the J&J news, the market rallies at the open," said Barry Hyman, chief investment strategist at Ehrenkrantz, King, Nussbaum. Currency and oil markets again feature prominently for investors, with the dollar hitting a fresh record low against the euro (EUR=: Quote , Profile , Research ) . A weakening dollar helps demand for U.S. products overseas, but a steep decline in the greenback could steer foreign investors away from U.S. assets. Oil prices dipped on Tuesday, a day after rising for the first time in two weeks. U.S. light sweet crude was down 21 cents to $42.77 in electronic trading. Insurers are in focus after a jury decided on Monday that the hijacked airliners that hit and destroyed the World Trade Center towers were two separate events. The ruling means the site's leaseholder, Larry Silverstein, could get twice as much money from his policies with the nine insurers of the twin towers to finance new construction. Among North American companies affected by the verdict are: Travelers Indemnity Co. and Gulf Insurance Co., now both part of St. Paul Travelers Cos. Inc. (STA.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) ; Industrial Risk Insurers, owned by General Electric Co. (GE.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) ; TIG Insurance Co., a unit of Canada's Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. (FFH.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) (FFHsv.TO: Quote , Profile , Research ) ; and Twin City Fire Insurance Co., a unit of Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. (HIG.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) . International Business Machines Corp. (IBM.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) will be eyed after sources said China's largest personal computer maker, Lenovo Group, is close to announcing that it is buying control of IBM's PC making business for up to $2 billion. General Motors (GM.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) will be watched after the carmaker's Europe president, Carl-Peter Forster, said they wanted to save at least $672.5 million in annual fixed costs. On the data front, revised third-quarter productivity data and unit labor costs top the billing, due at 8:30 a.m. (1330 GMT). Productivity is seen up 2 percent in the third-quarter, while unit labor costs are seen up 1.5 percent, according to economists surveyed by Reuters. The Dow Jones industrial average was down 45.15 points, or 0.43 percent, at 10,547.06. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 0.92 point, or 0.08 percent, at 1,190.25. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 3.29 points, or 0.15 percent, at 2,151.25. Quelle "Stocks Seen Higher at Open; Oil Dips" : reuters.com Main page for "Stocks Seen Higher at Open; Oil Dips"