US STOCKS-Futures tread water as investors weigh coronavirus impact

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* Futures: Dow dips 0.07%, S&P flat, Nasdaq up 0.06%

By Medha Singh
Feb 10 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were flat on
Monday after Wall Street's rise last week, with investors
monitoring the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak and
company updates as workers returned to work in China.
The death toll from the epidemic has now surpassed that of
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) from 2002-2003 and the
World Health Organization said the number of cases outside China
could be just "the tip of the iceberg". Apple Inc AAPL.O slipped 0.9% in premarket trading as its
supplier Foxconn 2317.TW struggled to fully resume its
factories in China. Analysts expect China's smartphone sales may plunge by as
much as 50% in the first quarter, as many retail shops remain
shuttered for an extended period and companies struggle to
restart production. On the other hand, electric carmaker Tesla Inc TSLA.O
jumped 9.2% as its Shanghai factory returned to service with
assistance to help it cope with the spreading epidemic after an
extended Lunar New Year holiday. At 7:04 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis 1YMcv1 were down 19 points,
or 0.07%. S&P 500 e-minis EScv1 were down 0.5 point, or 0.02%
and Nasdaq 100 e-minis NQcv1 were up 5.75 points, or 0.06%.
The three main Wall Street indexes retreated from record
highs on Friday but still the S&P 500 .SPX ended its best week
in eight months, and the Nasdaq recorded its biggest weekly rise
in more than a year after China's efforts to limit the impact of
the virus.
This week, a slew of earnings reports from consumer
discretionary companies and U.S. retail sales data could help
investors determine to what extent the coronavirus is hitting
consumer demand. Markets will also watch out for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome
Powell's two-day address to the U.S. Congress starting Tuesday,
especially for commentary related to the China-linked virus.
Among other stocks, L Brands Inc LB.N climbed 6% after a
report that the retailer was nearing a deal to sell Victoria's
Secret to Sycamore Partners.