US STOCKS-Wall St eyes lower open as Hong Kong bill escalates U.S.-China tensions

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* China condemns U.S. bill on Hong Kong rights
* Trade-sensitive technology shares slip
* Target, Lowe's gain on upbeat forecasts
* Futures down: Dow 0.27%, S&P 0.24%, Nasdaq 0.33%

(Adds comment, updates market action)
By Arjun Panchadar
Nov 20 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes were set to
fall at the open on Wednesday, as escalating political tensions
between Washington and Beijing sparked fears that the two sides
could fail to reach a trade agreement soon.
Beijing on Wednesday condemned U.S. legislation aimed at
protecting human rights in Hong Kong amid prolonged
anti-government protests, adding to jitters from a threat by
President Donald Trump to raise tariffs on Chinese imports if a
trade deal was not finalized. "The biggest concern (to markets) is the Senate action with
respect to Hong Kong," said Rick Meckler, partner, Cherry Lane
Investments, a family investment office in New Vernon, New
Jersey.
"China has been clear that they don't want to see any
foreign interference in Hong Kong. That's the real negative to
start today's market."
Trade-exposed technology stocks such as Intel Corp INTC.O ,
Micron Technology Inc MU.O , and Apple Inc AAPL.O fell
between 0.3% and 0.8% premarket. Most U.S.-listed Chinese stocks
also dropped.
The world's top two economies came tantalizingly close to a
deal in May after nearly a year of tariffs on each other's
goods, before talks fell apart. Hopes had since risen that Washington and Beijing would
strike at least a partial deal, with Wall Street's main indexes
scaling record highs this month.
The benchmark S&P 500 and blue-chip Dow Jones retreated
slightly at the close on Tuesday as dour forecasts by retailers
Home Depot Inc HD.N and Kohl's Corp KSS.N raised concerns
about the strength of U.S. consumer spending.
However, on Wednesday, strong forecasts by retailers Lowe's
Cos Inc LOW.N and Target Corp TGT.N sent their shares up
4.7% and 10.2%, respectively, adding to a fairly robust
third-quarter earnings season and assuaging investor nerves
about the impact of the trade war. Latest data has pointed to a resilient U.S. economy, but
recession fears are creeping back, with the gap between 2-year
and 10-year Treasury yields at its narrowest in more than two
weeks.
Focus now turns to minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest
policy meeting for clues to its stance on monetary policy. The
central bank cut interest rates for the third time this year in
October, but signaled it may be done with rate easing for now.
At 8:45 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis 1YMcv1 were down 75.00
points, or 0.27%. S&P 500 e-minis EScv1 were down 7.50 points,
or 0.24% and Nasdaq 100 e-minis NQcv1 were down 27.25 points,
or 0.33%.
Among other stocks, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co BMY.N fell
about 0.8% after a late-stage trial testing a combination of its
cancer drugs missed a main goal of preventing skin cancer from
recurring in a certain group of patients. Apparel retailer Urban Outfitters Inc URBN.O slumped 14.5%
after reporting lower-than-expected quarterly sales, hit by
weaker demand for its namesake brand.