U.S. futures pointed to a flat to lower start on Wall Street on Tuesday with the S&P 500 index, futures for DJ Industrial Average and futures for Nasdaq 100 down 0.02 to 0.2 percent, at 0900 GMT.

European shares were flat on Tuesday, as financials and mining stocks fell, while drugmakers and energy stocks gained. At 0900 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 index was down 0.1 percent at 862.71 points.

Giant U.S. hog and pork producer Smithfield Foods is widely expected to report losses for the quarter and fiscal year, its first yearly loss since 1975. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect the group to report an earnings per share loss of 56 cents compared to a loss of 7 cents a year ago.

Best Buy posts first-quarter results. Analysts polled by Reuters Estimates expect Best Buy to post earnings per share of 33 cents, compared to 43 cents in the year-ago quarter.

Adobe , the biggest maker of design software, reports quarterly results, with Wall Street analysts estimating earnings per share of 35 cents, compared to 50 cents a year ago.

At 1230 GMT is the release of the U.S. May Producer Price Index (PPI). Economists in a Reuters survey forecast a 0.6 percent increase compared with a 0.3 percent rise in April.

Also at 1230 GMT is the release of U.S. housing starts/building permits for May. Economists in a Reuters survey forecast a 490,000 annualized rate compared with a 458,000 rate in April. The annualized rate for building permits is expected to be 500,000 versus an April rate of 498,000.

The Redbook releases its Retail Sales Index of department and chain store sales for June versus May at 1255 GMT. In the prior period, sales fell 4.3 percent.

At 1315 GMT the Federal Reserve releases industrial production and capacity utilization data for May. Economists in a Reuters survey expect a 0.9 percent drop in production and a reading of 68.4 percent for capacity utilization.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Fiat is readying its second attempt to crack the U.S. market. Its new alliance with Chrysler Group LLC gives the company access to an extensive dealership and service network and a company in need of car technology.

On Monday, U.S. stocks tumbled, marking their worst slide in a month, after regional manufacturing data dented optimism about the economy's health and resource shares fell alongside commodity prices.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> fell 2.1 percent, the Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was down 2.4 percent and the Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> dropped 2.3 percent.

(Reporting by Joanne Frearson; Editing by Hans Peters)