U.S. stocks opened little changed on Tuesday as investors looked for catalysts to drive the markets while keeping one eye on clues for the possible timing of the next interest rate hike. 

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 7.87 points, or 0.04 percent, at 18,510.86, the S&P 500 was up 1.14 points, or 0.05 percent, at 2,181.52 and the Nasdaq composite was down 1.04 points, or 0.02 percent, at 5,231.29.