Stock index futures have pointed to a lower opening value on Wall Street for Wednesday's trading session. While futures for the S&P 500 had declined by 0.38%, Dow Jones futures and NASDAQ 100 futures were down by 0.37% and 0.48%, respectively.

It seems that investors are getting ready for a flurry of earnings for the country's major financial institutions like the Bank of America, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo.

Shares of technology firms will also be in focus, post IBM lifting its complete year earnings outlook for 2010 and posting a better-than-expected fourth-quarter report.

ASML, the largest manufacturer of semiconductor lithography equipment, also posted a fourth-quarter new orders number that beat expectations, mainly on the back of improving market conditions.

Commodities shares, however suffered, with oil futures falling by 90 cents and copper prices slipping, hurt by signs that China is all set to employ policies that would curb lending.