Stock futures mixed on return from holiday (AP)

NEW YORK ? Stock futures are mixed and nearly flat after four straight days of gains.

In the first day of trading following the holiday weekend, futures for the Dow Jones industrial average are up 3 to 12,220. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 is down 1 at 1,259. And the Nasdaq composite is up 4.25 at 2,283.

A run of strong data from the U.S. ahead of the long holiday weekend had buoyed investors around the world but particularly on Wall Street. The Dow Jones index closed last Friday at a five-month high.

European shares eked out modest gains Tuesday despite an earlier retreat in Asia.

Due later Tuesday are reports on home prices on October home prices at 9 a.m. ET and consumer sentiment at 10 a.m. ET.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111227/ap_on_bi_st_ma_re/us_wall_street

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