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By Michael Flaherty NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock futures trimmed early gains and pointed to an unchanged market open on Friday before a flow of economic data, with insurance stocks under pressure after New York's Attorney General leveled fraud charges against the industry. Shares of Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc. (MMC.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) fell more than 6 percent before the bell, extending their slide a day after the insurance broker was targeted along with other companies. A pair of early profit warnings added to the mixed picture for corporate earnings, with Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) warning of a bigger quarterly loss on weak domestic fares and high fuel costs, and Health Management Associates Inc. (HMA.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) saying recent hurricanes have hurt business. But Wachovia Corp. (WB.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) , the No. 5 U.S. bank, said third-quarter profit rose 14 percent. U.S. stocks fell hard on Thursday after oil spiked to a record level and New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer sued Marsh & McLennan, the world's No. 1 insurance broker, for steering unsuspecting clients to certain insurers in exchange for lucrative payoffs. The lawsuit also implicates Hartford Financial Services Group (HIG.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) , American International Group (AIG.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) , the world's largest insurer by market value, Chubb Corp. (CB.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) and Bermuda-based ACE Ltd (ACE.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) , as well as a Munich Re (MUVGn.DE: Quote , Profile , Research ) unit. Marsh & McLennan slid in pre-market trade. The stock was down 6.17 percent to $ 32.70 on the INET electronic brokerage system from its close of $34.85 on Thursday. Early Friday morning, S&P 500 futures were up 1.3 points, 1.6 points above fair value accounting for dividends, interest rates and time to expiration on the contract, indicating the market would open little changed. Dow Jones industrial index futures rose 12 points, while Nasdaq 100 futures inched down two points. Investors will see a range of U.S. data, including retail sales and producer prices, to gauge whether record-high energy prices were dampening consumer spending and corporate profit margins. Wall Street will also focus on a speech by Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan who is slated to discuss oil at noon (1600 GMT) before the National Italian-American Foundation in Washington. Continued ...
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