U.S. stocks seen flat; caution before Fed NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock futures pointed to a flat to slightly lower open on Tuesday, as investors were cautious before combing through a statement by the Federal Reserve due later in the day, with the Fed expected to raise interest rates by another quarter point. Conglomerate Tyco International Ltd. (TYC.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) posted a decline in quarterly profit due to charges. Excluding the charges, Tyco beat expectations by a penny, but lowered its full-year earnings outlook reflecting higher commodity costs and expected weakness in European automotive electronics. Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) , which owns the Venetian Casino Resort in Las Vegas, said first-quarter net profit fell, but excluding charges the company beat Wall Street estimates. (ID:nN03321765: Quote , Profile , Research ) S&P 500 futures (SPM5: Quote , Profile , Research ) fell 1.6 points, the Dow Jones industrial average futures (DJM5: Quote , Profile , Research ) were down 16 points, while Nasdaq 100 (NDM5: Quote , Profile , Research ) fell by a point. "The market is looking closely at the Fed and there isn't too much doubt about their move. But investors are very much focused on the statement's wording," to look for clues into the future pace of rate hikes, said Alex Scott of Seven Investment Management. The Federal Open Market Committee holds a one-day meeting on interest rates, with an announcement on the fed funds rate expected around 2:15 p.m. (1815 GMT), with an expected rate rise to 3 percent from 2.75 percent. Rate hikes tend to weigh on the stock market because higher rates raise the cost of borrowing money. Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) and Boeing Co. (BA.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) ended nearly a decade of bitter rivalry over government rocket launches by announcing late on Monday they would form a 50-50 joint venture called United Launch Alliance. (ID:nN02299139: Quote , Profile , Research ) General Electric (GE.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) said on Monday it received a subpoena from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's New York office seeking documents related to "certain loss mitigation insurance products." (ID:nN02191094: Quote , Profile , Research ) Car stocks are in the spotlight as U.S. automakers release April auto sales. Economists in a Reuters survey expect median annualized sales of 5.40 million cars and 7.90 million trucks. That compares with 5.52 million cars in March and 7.97 million trucks. On the economic front, March factory orders are due at 10 a.m. (1400 GMT). Economists in a Reuters survey expect a median fall of 1.2 percent compared with a 0.2 percent rise in the prior month. U.S. stocks closed higher on Monday, getting a boost from American International Group Inc. (AIG.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) on relief that the insurer's latest disclosures about accounting problems were less damaging than initially feared, while a surge in oil prices lifted shares of energy companies. The Dow Jones industrial average finished up 59.19 points, or 0.58 percent, at 10,251.70. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 5.31 points, or 0.46 percent, at 1,162.16. The Nasdaq Composite Index ended up 7 points, or 0.36 percent, at 1,928.65. The Dow closed at its highest level in more than two weeks. Quelle "U.S. stocks seen flat; caution before Fed" : reuters.com Main page for "U.S. stocks seen flat; caution before Fed"