U.S. futures edge lower ahead of G20 summit; Dow Jones down 0.08%

Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to a lower open on Friday, as euro zone growth concerns continued to weigh on investor confidence, while markets eyed the upcoming G20 summit, due to begin later in the day.

Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.08% fall, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.10% decline, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.07% loss.

Sentiment weakened on Thursday, after official data showed that euro zone gross domestic product contracted by 0.6% in the three months to December, compared to expectations for a 0.4% decline, after a 0.1% contraction in the third quarter.

It was the fastest rate of decline since 2009 and marked a third consecutive quarter of contraction.

In addition, Germany’s economy, the euro zone’s largest, contracted by 0.6% in the in the fourth quarter, more than expectations for a 0.5% drop on declining exports and investment.

Consumer goods companies were expected to be active, after Procter & Gamble said it will take one-off charges of between USD200 million and USD275 million after tax in 2013 due to Venezuela's latest currency devaluation, resulting in lower profits.

The news sent the company's shares down 0.43% in pre-market trade.

Television companies were also likely to be in focus, as CBS Corp dropped 0.82% in early trading, even as it reported a 6% gain in fourth-quarter profit on Thursday, boosted by political advertising on its TV networks and higher revenue from cable channel fees.

Separately, DirecTV warned that Venezuela's recent currency devaluation will crimp its results this year and said it was still considering buying Brazilian telecom operator GVT, sending shares down 0.26% pre-market.

Elsewhere, AT&T won a ruling from a federal appeals court on Thursday in a lawsuit against liquid crystal display panel makers alleging a price-fixing conspiracy.

Also in corporate news, Occidental Petroleum has reportedly started looking for someone to replace Chief Executive Stephen Chazen, according to the fourth-largest U.S. oil company, after the 66-year-old spent less than two years in the top job.

Other stocks in focus included Campbell Soup, due to report earnings later in the day.

Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were mixed. The EURO STOXX 50 retreated 0.33% higher, France’s CAC 40 inched up 0.05%, Germany's DAX slipped 0.15%, while Britain's FTSE 100 added 0.09%.

During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index edged 0.13% higher, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index tumbled 1.18%.

Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish data on manufacturing activity in New York state and industrial production. In addition, the University of Michigan was to release preliminary data on consumer sentiment and inflation expectations.