North American stocks are expected to climb at the open Tuesday after solid earnings results from Texas Instruments, as traders look forward to another round of earnings reports and consumer-confidence data.

Texas Instruments said late Monday that its second-quarter profit rose a better-than-expected 42% on flat sales. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to US3¢ from US2.5¢.

In today’s earnings news, Inco Ltd. reported a second-quarter profit of US$215 million, versus a year-earlier loss of US$14 million. However the nickel giant warned of lower production and higher costs in the third quarter.

Tobacco company Rothmans Inc. says its first-quarter profit rose to $29.7 million, from a year-earlier $23.8 million, as cigarette prices climbed.

Among U.S. companies reporting this morning, Verizon’s net income rose 18%, driven by strength in its wireless business and a gain from the sale of a unit. Revenue at the telecom company rose 4.6%

DuPont’s net income doubled as the chemicals company booked several one-time gains in the latest quarter compared with sizable charges in the year-earlier period.

Lockheed Martin said its second-quarter profit soared 56% on double-digit growth at its systems and IT operations. The defense contractor raised its full-year outlook.

British oil giant BP posted a 29% profit rise as it continued to benefit from high oil prices.

In other business news, Camco Inc., Canada’s largest appliance maker, has struck a $70.4 million deal to be taken over by a Mexican company controlled by Camco’s majority shareholder, General Electric Co.

In today’s economic news, the U.S. Conference Board is due to release its consumer confidence index for July at 10:00 ET. Economists look for a minimal increase to 106.0 from 105.8 in June.

There are no major releases from Statistics Canada today.

Toronto stocks closed marginally lower Monday, as a weak showing in technology companies offset gains in the energy group. The S&P/TSX composite index finished down 12.24, or 0.12%, to finish 10,362.55

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index gained 1.69 points, or 0.10%, to 1,772.89.

In New York, disappointment over uninspiring corporate earnings offset positive news in the real estate sector.

The blue chip Dow Jones industrial average lost 54.70 points, or 0.51%, to 10,596.48; the tech heavy Nasdaq composite index dropped 13.00, or 0.60%, to 2,166.74; and the broad based S&P 500 index declined 4.65, or 0.38%, to 1,229.03.

Existing-home sales in U.S. rose 2.7% in June, reaching a record level of 7.33 million, with the median price rising 14.7% year-on-year.