NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures briefly pared losses on Thursday following government data showing an unexpected fall in new claims for unemployment benefits in the latest week.
* The boost, however, was offset by a deluge of disappointing December sales and forecasts of profit shortfalls from major retailers, including Wal-Mart Stores
* A Reuters poll of economists now shows expectations for Friday's U.S. non-farm payrolls data have soured further, with the consensus now calling for a loss of 550,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate to climb to 7.0 percent.
* S&P 500 futures dropped 8.50 points, while Nasdaq futures dipped 9.50 points, and Dow futures declined 103 points.
(Reporting by Ellis Mnyandu; Editing by James Dalgleish)
