(For a Reuters live blog on U.S., UK and European stock

markets, click or type LIVE/ in a news window.)

*

UnitedHealth ( UNH ) gains on Q1 profit beat

*

Fed Chair Jerome Powell to speak at 1:15 pm ET

*

Futures: Dow up 0.48%, S&P up 0.08%, Nasdaq down 0.02%

(Updated at 7:24 a.m. ET/1124 GMT)

By Shashwat Chauhan and Shristi Achar A

April 16 (Reuters) -

Futures tracking the Dow outshone peers on Tuesday on robust

results from UnitedHealth ( UNH ), while elevated Treasury yields amid

heightened tensions in the Middle East kept a lid on gains.

Dow Component UnitedHealth Group advanced 6.8% in

premarket trading after the health insurer beat expectations for

first-quarter profit.

Financial firms were also in the spotlight, with Bank of New

York Mellon ( BK ) gaining 2.0% after the lender beta Wall

Street estimates for first-quarter results.

Pressuring equities, however, the yield on the 10-year

government bond last stood at 4.655% a day after

data showed U.S. retail sales increased more than expected in

March amid a surge in receipts at online retailers. This was

further evidence that the economy had ended the first quarter on

solid ground.

Wall Street closed sharply lower in the previous session,

pressured by a jump in Treasury yields and concerns about rising

geopolitical tensions between Iran and Israel.

Meanwhile, Israelis awaited word on how Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu would respond to Iran's first-ever direct

attack, as international pressure for restraint grew over fears

the conflict could escalate.

"So far, markets appear rather sanguine to the rising

tensions, and cautiously optimistic that Israel's response will

be restrained, and that an all-out war will be sidestepped,"

Matthew Ryan, head of market strategy at global financial

services firm Ebury, said in a note.

Several policymakers including Federal Reserve Chair Jerome

Powell are slated to speak later in the day, and investors will

be watching for clues on where the central bank stands on policy

easing.

San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly said on Monday that

with the economy and the labor market strong and inflation still

above the Fed's 2% target, there was "no urgency" to cut U.S.

interest rates.

Traders see an about 47% chance of the Fed kicking off its

easing cycle in July, according to the CME FedWatch tool.

Among other earnings, Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) slipped 0.6%

as the drugmaker's first-quarter revenue missed analysts'

estimates after sales from its blockbuster psoriasis drug,

Stelara, fell short of expectations.

Bank of America ( BAC ) edged 0.1% lower as the lender's

first-quarter profit fell on less earnings from customer

interest payments.

U.S. equities have sold off recently as investors sharply

readjusted their expectations of how much the Fed would cut

rates this year, with bets now showing only 43 basis points of

expected easing, according to LSEG data. This is down from about

150 bps seen at the start of the year.

At 7:24 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis were up 181 points,

or 0.48%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 4.25 points, or 0.08%,

and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 3.25 points, or 0.02%.

Tesla shed 2.8% in premarket trading after falling

over 5% in the last session, when an internal memo seen by

Reuters showed the EV marker was laying off more than 10% of its

global workforce.