Stock futures point to higher open

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher open on Tuesday as bank shares gained ahead of a report about the imminent repayment of government bailout funds.

* Before the bell, Goldman Sachs Group Inc rose 0.3 percent to $148.80, while JPMorgan Chase & Co gained 0.9 percent to $35.70.

* The U.S. Treasury Department will allow 10 banks to pay back Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Some investors have voiced concerns that banks may repay the money too soon, diverting funds away from the economy.

* "The interest rate movements have left people a little bit confused from the investment side," said Rick Meckler, president of LibertyView Capital Management in Jersey City, New Jersey.

* S&P 500 futures rose 1.10 points and were below 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 rose 4 point, while Nasdaq 100 futures were up 0.75 points.

* Treasury bond prices recovered on Tuesday after a selloff the previous day, but investors remained concerned that higher interest rates would pull dollars away from the stock market and slow an economic recovery by increasing borrowing costs for businesses and consumers.

* The S&P 500 <.SPX> has rallied 39 percent since hitting a 12-year closing low on March 9, leading analysts to speculate a correction was looming, although recent dips have been short-lived.

* Apple Inc looked set to boost Nasdaq after the company cut the price of its entry-level iPhone to $99 on Monday to increase the trendy device's mass-market appeal as global competition heats up. The stock was up 0.7 percent to 144.20 before the bell.

* Texas Instruments Inc shares rose 5.2 percent after-hours on Monday after the company raised its second-quarter revenue and earnings targets. The stock was up before the bell Tuesday, but trading was light.

* General Electric Co said its aviation unit, the world's largest maker of jet engines, expects orders to fall 50 percent this year as airlines slow plane orders.

* On the data front, the International Council of Shopping Centers will release U.S. chain store retail sales data at 7:45 a.m. EDT, (1145 GMT) while April wholesale inventories data will be out at 10 a.m. EDT

* Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner testifies at 10:30 a.m. EDT before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on the Treasury Department's budget request.

* U.S. stocks rebounded late Monday to end flat, shrugging off lighter-than-expected sales from McDonald's Corp and lowered iPhone prices from Apple.

(Reporting by Edward Krudy; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)