The Market On Tuesday

  Good morning. It is 27 degrees and cloudy here in Upstate NY. The forecast has the temperature rising into the 40s later on today. That will definitely seem balmy compared to last week's zero temperatures. Each day we gain more than 2 minutes of light and it's beginning to be noticeable especially around 6:30 a.m. It's the return of the light.

  At 8:00 a.m. E.T. futures are flat and the price of oil per barrel is slightly higher. The market is poised to open slightly higher.

  Investors continue to parse fourth quarter corporate results with the majority of reports beating expectations, consequently pushing the indexes to surprisingly high levels. It's an unusual time in recent market history with the market percolating and a bit less volatile for the moment. Volatility has been a defining keyword for the stock market in the last 5 years, it's nice to have a short respite although one must presume that a correction is around the corner.

CNN: Stocks: Looking for cue to extend gains

Yahoo...posted earnings that beat expectations late Tuesday.

On the economic front, the Case-Shiller 20-city home price index will be released at 9 a.m. ET...