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US STOCKS-Fed caution, weak economic growth weigh on futures

Reuters - UK Focus

* Futures down: Dow 51 pts, S&P 4.25 pts, Nasdaq 20 pts

By Tanya Agrawal

April 30 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were lower on Thursday, a day after data showed that U.S. economic growth slowed to a crawl in the first-quarter and a Federal Reserve statement that provided little clarity on a rate hike timeline.

* Data released on Wednesday showed gross domestic product expanded at an only 0.2 percent annual rate as harsh weather put off shoppers and energy companies cut spending.

* The Fed attributed poor economic numbers to "transitory factors" but pointed to soft patches across the economy, in a sign it may have to hold off hiking rates until at least September.

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* Apple (NasdaqGS: AAPL - news) shares fell 0.9 percent to $127.50 in premarket trading after early adopters of the Apple Watch complained that many key functions are disrupted by their tattoos.

* Yelp (NYSE: YELP - news) shares fell 17.7 percent to $42.71 a day after the operator of consumer review website forecast second-quarter revenue below analysts' expectations.

* Glu Mobile (NasdaqGS: GLUU - news) shares jumped 21.3 percent to $6.55 after Chinese social networking company Tencent Holdings (Xetra: NNN1.DE - news) agreed to buy a 14.6 percent stake in the company.

* Baidu (Xetra: A0F5DE - news) shares dropped 4 percent to $210.10 a day after China's dominant Internet search engine posted its slowest quarterly revenue growth rate in almost seven years.

* Earnings expected on Thursday include Coca-Cola, ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP - news) and Colgate-Palmolive before the bell, and Dow component Visa (Xetra: A0NC7B - news) , and LinkedIn after the close.

* Data expected later in the day include consumer spending number for March and weekly jobless claims, both at 8:30 a.m. EDT (1230 GMT), and Chicago factory index numbers for April at 9:45 a.m. (1345 GMT)

Futures snapshot at 6:34 a.m. EDT (1034 GMT)

* S&P 500 e-minis were down 4.25 points, or 0.2 percent, with 153,546 contracts changing hands.

* Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 20 points, or 0.45 percent, in volume of 23,713 contracts.

* Dow e-minis were down 51 points, or 0.28 percent, with 27,957 contracts traded. (Reporting by Tanya Agrawal; Editing by Savio D'Souza)