U.S. stock futures are higher Tuesday morning ahead of housing-price and consumer-confidence data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 30 points to 11,533, while those for the S&P 500 rose 3.10 points to 1,256. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 gained 3.75 points to 2,234.

A Peek into Global Markets

Positive sentiment ruled the European markets today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index has advanced 0.21%.

Asian markets ended in negative territory, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average losing 0.61%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving down 0.41% and China's Shanghai Composite dropping 1.74%.

Crocs Inc. (CROX) tagged a new annual high last Friday after surpassing analysts' second-quarter earnings expectations. As a result, bullish option volume ramped up on the footwear firm. During the course of Friday's trading, about 13,000 calls changed hands on CROX, representing nearly six times the stock's expected daily volume.

The stock's September 15 call was a popular choice, with 1,649 contracts crossing the tape here -- 71% at the ask price, indicating they were purchased. Open interest at this strike rose over the weekend by 1,002 contracts, confirming that new long calls were added here on Friday.

On Thursday, the shares of Crocs, Inc. (CROX) shuffled to a new 52-week high for the second time in as many sessions. The equity topped out at $8.47 on an intraday basis, marking its best price since July 2008. But with the stock hovering near a 20-month peak, can the shares continue to climb -- or are they due for a pullback?

If today's drop of more than 2% is any indication, it seems that CROX's positive momentum is cooling. The stock's Relative Strength Index (RSI) stands at 63, not far from overbought territory, so this modest retreat isn't terribly surprising.

Here are some highlights from last week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• American International Group Inc. (NYSE: AIG) said its earnings report would not include a conference call.
• Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) shares rose after it reaffirmed the 2009 outlook and forecast further growth.
• Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) said its Q4 numbers tumbled despite cost-cutting efforts.
• Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA) posted strong Q2 results, though its cash flow was flat.
• Crocs Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX) reported better-than-expected Q2 results and forecast a return to profitability.
• Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) revenue surged in Q1 and its narrower loss beat expectations.

Does anyone here remember Crocs, Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX)?

It seems like only yesterday that you'd walk down the street and everywhere you looked, you saw those horribly ugly $30 sandals that were going to change the world.

Well, as it turned out, Crocs didn't change the world. They were just a fad. Crocs are nothing more than this decade's version of the hula hoop, the pet rock, Members Only jackets or the dearly beloved eight-track tape.

The Washington Post recently looked at the decline and fall of Crocs.

The colorful foam clogs appeared in 2002, just as the country was recovering from a recession. Brash and bright, they were a cheap investment (about $30) that felt good and promised to last forever. Former president George W. Bush wore them. Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler wore them. Your grandma wore them. They roared along with the economy, mocked by the fashion world but selling 100 million pairs in seven years.

In the space of about 16 months, shares of CROX jumped 600%! The stock did even better than Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) -- and no one had to bail them out. Now class, that brings me to today's investing lesson: How to know when you've made the dumbest investing mistake in the world.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) Q1 earnings were cut almost in half and were lower than expected.
• AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) earnings expectations for 2010 resulted in an analyst's upgrade.
• BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: BMRN) was downgraded following its Q4 earnings report.
• CBS Corp. (NYSE: CBS) beat Q4 earnings expectations but slashed its quarterly dividend.
• Crocs Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX) posted a smaller-than-expected Q4 loss but sales and gross margins fell.
• Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE) Q1 earnings and revenue fell and it offered guidance below estimates.
• Deutsche Telekom (NYSE: DT) was upgraded on confidence ahead of the company's earnings report.
• Hewlett-Packard Corp. (NYSE: HPQ) reported a bigger-than-expected drop in Q1 earnings.

Crocs (NASDAQ: CROX) reported earnings for the fourth quarter after the market close on Thursday. The shares were up almost 10% on the news during the after-hours trading session since the footwear company beat expectations by a wide margin. But let me tell you something: I cannot imagine any sane investor wanting to risk his hard-earned capital on this stock. The numbers are just too dismal.

Wall Street was bracing for a loss of $0.56 per share in the fourth quarter. Well, Crocs did much better than that. It lost only $0.40 per share. Great, right? Yeah. Let's look at the top line: it declined by 43%. Does that put the earnings beat in perspective? I sure hope it does. How about the fact that gross margin went down to 44% compared to 56% in the year-ago period -- does that also lend some context?

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) reported lower quarterly profits and cut its full-year outlook.
• Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) beat Q4 earnings expectations but revenues tumbled.
• Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) reported a big loss in Q3, like many other private equity firms.
• Crocs Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX) posted a deeper-than-estimated Q3 net loss due to restructuring costs.
• Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE: CY) warned that it expects to swing to a net loss in Q4.
• Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) fell to a three-year-low despite expected growth in profits and revenues.
• Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) lowered its revenue forecast for Q4, which was bad news for PC makers.
• Kohl's Corp. (NYSE: KSS) beat low earnings expectations by a penny as same-store sales declined.
• Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (NYSE: LGF) narrowed its net loss in Q2 but fell short of estimates.
• Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN) said its Q3 profit tumbled as its same-store-sales declined.
• Orbitz Wordlwide Inc. (NYSE: OWW) reported a wider net loss, which led to a analyst's downgrade.
• Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) raised its forecasts after finalizing the sale of Folgers brand.
• Sirius XM Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) halved its Q3 net loss and revenues and subscriber numbers rose.
• TJX Companies Inc. (NYSE: TJX) reported a Q3 earnings decline and offered a cautious outlook.
• Tyco International Ltd. (NYSE: TYC) posted better-than-expected profits but warned of softness ahead.
• Walmart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) beat analyst estimates for Q3 and warned of a profit squeeze.