U.S. index stock futures pointed to a nearly flat open on Tuesday, as investors eyed Bank of America's sale of a stake in a Chinese bank and Ford signaled it would take advantage of a recent rally by selling stock to raise cash.

Bank of America Corp sold about $7.3 billion worth of shares in China Construction Bank <601939.SS> to a group of investors, a source said, as the struggling U.S. bank sought to raise cash. Bank of America shares rose 2.9 percent to $13.31 in premarket trade.

Ford Motor Co said late Monday it will sell 300 million common shares and use part of the proceeds to pay off its health-care obligations to the United Auto Workers union. The company has been seen as the healthiest U.S. automaker. Ford shares fell 6 percent to $5.71 in premarket trade.

Everyone is trying to take advantage of the strong market, said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Avalon Partners in New York. Raising capital via equity is always short-term negative, but a short-term negative with a long-term positive aspect to attached to it

S&P 500 futures rose 0.7 points and were above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures added 5 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures slipped 1.25 points.

U.S. banks have been in focus recently after the government stress tests forced many financial institutions to raise extra capital to shore up their balance sheets. Shares of Bank of New York Mellon Corp dropped 2.8 percent to $28.70, a day after announcing a $1 billion stock offering.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said late Monday the stress tests of how 19 major banks would endure a sharp downturn in the economy already appear to be helping banks gain access to private capital, a key element in economic recovery.

Boeing Co will be in the spotlight after Airbus parent EADS posted a 70 percent slide in first-quarter operating profit after a new charge for its delayed A400M military transport plane. EADS also cut its forecast for civil plane orders, pushing its shares down 4 percent.

JPMorgan raised its price target on the stock of Capital One Financial Corp , saying the excess capital it raised will remain in the company's investment portfolio for some time. The firm raised its price target on the stock to $25 from $12.

U.S. stocks fell Monday as investors booked profits in financials after a two-month run-up and on worries that stockofferings by several banks might have a dilutive effect on current shareholders.

Since reaching 12-year closing lows in early March, the Dow Jones industrial average is up 30.1 percent and the S&P 500 is up 36.4 percent.

(Reporting by Edward krudy; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

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