USB: flat Financial shares were mainly lower in pre-market trade Tuesday after the broader market slipped lower as the dollar came under pressure and investors digested a slew of economic data including consumer price index, core CPI, housing starts and building permits, and industrial production and capacity utilization. In financial stocks news, Morgan Stanley ( MS ) was up 0.7% after ValueAct Capital Management LP built about a 2% stake in the investment bank, according to SEC filings. The company intends to use the net proceeds for debt repayments and for general business purposes.