US STOCKS-Futures retreat on doubts over more fiscal stimulus

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* Futures off: Dow 0.52%, S&P 0.50%, Nasdaq 0.47%

By Devik Jain
Sept 25 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures fell on Friday
as investors remained skeptical of more fiscal stimulus needed
to shore up a domestic economy hammered by the pandemic-driven
recession.
After weeks of stalemate in talks over a fifth coronavirus
relief bill, a key lawmaker said on Thursday Democrats in the
U.S. House of Representatives were working on a $2.2 trillion
package that could be voted on next week. United Airlines Holdings Inc UAL.O , Southwest Airlines Co
LUV.N and Alaska Air Group Inc ALK.N were little changed in
premarket trading even as airline unions hoped further aid would
be announced before the current program ends on Oct. 1.
Failure to reach a deal by then would result in another
round of mass furloughs. A clutch of downbeat macroeconomic data has weighed on Wall
Street in recent weeks, with the S&P 500 .SPX on course for
its fourth straight week of declines.
The benchmark index has hovered just above correction
territory with investors oscillating between beaten-down
technology-related shares and value-linked sectors such as
industrials.
Tech mega-caps including Facebook Inc FB.O , Alphabet Inc
GOOGL.O , Amazon.com Inc AMZN.O , Apple Inc AAPL.O and
Netflix Inc NFLX.O headed lower after leading gains on Wall
Street in the previous session.
At 6:25 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis 1YMcv1 were down 139 points,
or 0.52%, S&P 500 e-minis EScv1 were down 16.25 points, or
0.50%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis NQcv1 were down 50.75 points, or
0.47%.
The CBOE volatility index .VIX , known as Wall Street's
fear gauge, has spiked this week and analysts have warned it
could climb higher toward the end of the quarter next week as
well as the Nov. 3 presidential election.
Costco Wholesale Corp COST.O fell 2.5% as the warehouse
chain recorded high coronavirus-related costs for the second
straight quarter, overshadowing its better-than-expected
results. Boeing Co BA.N inched higher after Europe's chief aviation
safety regulator said the planemaker's grounded 737 MAX could
receive regulatory approval to resume flying in November and
enter service by the end of the year.