U.S. stock futures were flat Tuesday morning after the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite notched their longest winning streaks of 2024. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipped 40 points, or 0.1%. Futures tied to the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures were also both little changed. Cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks added more than 2% before the bell after beating expectations in the fiscal fourth quarter. Guidance for adjusted earnings in the current quarter came in ahead of estimates. Home improvement retailer Lowe’s reported earnings that missed on revenue as the company lowered its annual profit outlook, noting an expected slowdown in consumer spending. However, bottom-line profit beat Wall Street estimates. This action follows another winning day for the major averages, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite posting their eighth straight positive sessions. That marks a first for the S&P 500 since November 2023 and the Nasdaq going back to December 2023. The major averages have bounced back amid a dramatic fall in market volatility from the start of the month. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) is now around 15 after topping 65 on Aug. 5 — the day the S&P 500 posted its worst session since 2022 amid a global market sell-off. Strong retail sales data and a soft inflation report issued last week have helped soothe investors’ fears on the economy. This week, investors are readying themselves for the Federal Reserve’s annual Jackson Hole Economic Symposium, where Chair Jerome Powell is scheduled to give remarks Friday. Before then, traders will parse minutes from the central bank’s July policy meeting due Wednesday. Wall Street is looking for hints of what to expect at the Fed’s next policy meeting. Currently, Fed futures funds pricing indicates a 100% likelihood of central bank policymakers lowering rates in September, per the CME FedWatch Tool. Sam Stovall, CFRA Research’s chief investment strategist, said that the question is not only about when the Fed cuts rates, but by how much. Fed officials want to signal that “they are on top of the curve — not behind it,” Stovall said. “But at the same time, they don’t want to be too aggressive in removing the pressure before the fire is out.” U.S. Treasury yields were little changed on Tuesday as investors wait for commentary from the Federal Reserve on inflation, interest rates and the economy. The yield on the 10-year Treasury was less than 1 basis point higher at 3.875%. The 2-year Treasury yield nudged 1 basis point lower to 4.057%. Asia-Pacific markets were mostly up on Tuesday, tracking a Wall Street rally overnight, while investors also assessed minutes of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s latest meeting. The region was led by Japan’s Nikkei 225, which gained 1.8% to 38,062.92, powered by utilities and healthcare stocks. The broad-based Topix was up 1.11% and closed at 2,670.54. South Korea’s Kospi was 0.83% higher, ending at 2,696.63, and the small-cap Kosdaq saw a larger gain of 1.28% to 787.44. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 climbed 0.22% after the RBA release, ending the day at 7,997.7. The index briefly crossed the 8,000 mark during the session, the first time since the Aug. 2 meltdown in Asia. However, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was down 0.50% as of its final hour of trade, while mainland China’s CSI 300 fell 0.72% to end at 3,332.7, snapping a three day winning streak. U.S. crude oil futures held steady above $74 per barrel Tuesday, after selling off in the previous session amid demand worries in Asia and cease-fire talks in the Middle East. “We are seeing oil prices mean reverting on the back of frankly a lot more supply but also softer demand,” Francisco Blanch, commodity strategist at Bank of America, told CNBC’s “Fast Money” on Monday. “Oil is really trading on supply and demand fundamentals and we have a bit of an air pocket right now with China slowing down here,” Blanch said. U.S. crude oil prices have fallen 8.7% this quarter, while Brent is down 9.8%. West Texas Intermediate September contract: $74.42 per barrel, up five cents, or 0.07%. Year to date, U.S. crude oil is up 3.87%. Brent October contract: $77.74 per barrel, up 8 cents, or 0.12%. Year to date, the global benchmark is ahead 0.92%. Gold prices hit a record high on Tuesday as a weaker dollar and buying by Western investors extended the precious metal’s rally amid bets the U.S. Federal Reserve will cut interest rates in September. Spot gold rose 0.8% to $2,524.88 per ounce, surpassing a previous record hit on Friday. London’s gold price benchmark hit an all-time high of $2,521.55 per ounce at a morning auction on Tuesday, the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) said. The dollar touched a seven-month low on Tuesday with traders bracing for comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday.