CORRECTED-US STOCKS-Futures look for direction after four-day selloff

(Corrects milestone in lede)
* Futures: Dow down 0.15%, S&P flat, Nasdaq off 0.03%

By Medha Singh
Feb 26 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were mixed on
Wednesday after the Dow and the S&P 500 indexes suffered their
sharpest four-day percentage fall in more than a year on fears
of the economic damage from the global spread of the
coronavirus.
Demand for defensive plays such as gold remained high as the
World Health Organization (WHO) cautioned that the rapid spread
of the virus to more places was inevitable, even as the outbreak
in China had peaked. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention also warned that a pandemic was likely. As of Wednesday, death toll in Italy had crossed 19, new
cases in South Korea rose above 1,260, while first case of the
virus infection was reported in Greece and Brazil.
The three main indexes have fallen in the past four
sessions, with the Dow .DJI losing more than 1,900 points in
the past two days, while the S&P 500 .SPX has lost about $1.74
trillion in market capitalization in the same period, according
to S&P Dow Jones Indices senior analyst Howard Silverblatt.
The S&P 500 is down 7.8% from its intraday record high hit
last Wednesday, while the Nasdaq .IXIC is down 8.9% from the
peak. If an index closes down 10% or more from its closing high,
it would confirm a correction territory.
At 7:25 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis 1YMcv1 were down 42 points,
or 0.15%. S&P 500 e-minis EScv1 were up 0.25 points, or 0.01%
and Nasdaq 100 e-minis NQcv1 were down 3 points, or 0.03%.
Among stocks, Walt Disney Co DIS.N slipped 2.2% in
premarket trading on news Robert Iger will step down as chief
executive officer, handing the reins to Disney Parks head Bob
Chapek. Beyond Meat Inc BYND.O rose 5.6% as Starbucks Corp
SBUX.O said its Canadian stores will start selling the
company's plant-based breakfast sandwich next week.