Futures point to lower start on Wall Street

(Reuters) - Stock index futures pointed to a mostly lower open for U.S. shares on Friday, following strong gains in the previous session, as a pledge by European leaders to support Greece eased worries about a crisis in the euro zone.

At 0931 GMT, futures for the Dow Jones were flat; those for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq were down 0.1 percent.

The FTSEurofirst 300 <.FTEU3> index of leading European shares was up 0.8 percent at 998.38 points, gaining for a fifth day, with oils among the strongest performers. ENI was up 1.8 percent after its results beat expectations.

U.S. retail sales for January, due at 1330 GMT, are likely to show weakness due to being held back by lower auto sales.

Core retail sales -- excluding autos, gasoline and building materials -- probably resumed their upward trend after stumbling in December. The median forecast for retail sales is for a rise of 0.3 percent after a fall of 0.3 percent in December.

Crude oil inventories probably rose last week as a rise in imports outweighed a slight gain in refinery demand, an expanded Reuters poll of 16 analysts showed. The data, delayed until Friday because of bad weather in Washington, is forecast to show a drop in distillate stocks, which include heating oil and diesel.

Ingersoll-Rand , a maker of heating and cooling systems, reports quarterly results. Analysts on average are looking for slightly higher profit as the company cuts costs to offset weak revenue. The market is expecting earnings to be flat from a year ago at 53 cents per share.

American International Assurance, the Asian life insurance unit of AIG , is set to hold an analysts' presentation for an IPO that is expected to raise more than $10 billion and be one of the biggest in Hong Kong in nearly half a decade. AIA is eyeing an end-March listing hearing from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Berkshire Hathaway will replace Burlington Northern in the Standard & Poor's 500 <.SPX> index after shareholders approved the No. 2 U.S. railroad company's takeover by Berkshire, clearing the way for the largest acquisition by billionaire investor Warren Buffett to be completed.

Trading on Wall Street may be subdued, ahead of a long weekend, with the markets closed on Monday for the Presidents' Day holiday.

On Thursday, U.S. stocks rose after a pledge by European leaders to support debt-laden Greece eased fears of a broader euro zone crisis and upbeat data from China spurred mining and material stocks. The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> rose 1.1 percent; the S&P 500 gained 1 percent; the Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> added 1.4 percent.

Cephalon rose 0.7 percent in extended trading on Thursday after the company announced record sales and adjusted net income for 2009. It also increased guidance for 2010.

(Reporting by Brian Gorman; Editing by Hans Peters)