Tuesday is another quiet day, and as far as markets are concerned that may not be a good thing. In recent weeks indexes have tended to fall on days when no economic news is released, as investors reconsider the direction of the economy instead of reacting to indicators. 

Yesterday is only the most recent example. The S&P 500 made a push into positive territory in the final hour but ended up down 0.10% on the day. This morning futures are pointing to a continuation of those declines, and no economic data will be released to counter such sentiment.

Aside from two weekly retail sales reports, the only data due for release is the 10 am Wholesale Trade report― hardly a market shaker. Analysts expect inventories to decline 1.1% in April, following a 1.6% drawback in March.

However, optimism may be found outside of data releases. Financial wires are reporting that Treasury may approve $50 billion of repayments from solvent banks involved in the Treasury Asset Relief Program. Bloomberg News said an official announcement could be released as early as today, with up to 10 banks included in the transaction.

In addition, investors will be happy to read that the Obama administration’s plans for financial overhaul are being tamed. “Administration officials had suggested they might push for major regulatory consolidation in the wake of the financial crisis,” said the Wall Street Journal writes. “But now they expect to call for most existing agencies to have broader powers to limit risk-taking by financial institutions, say the people familiar with the planning.”