US STOCKS-Futures imply lower open on Greece concerns, China data
* Qualcomm jumps in premarket, to buy back shares
* Crude oil falls; Exxon, Halliburton weaker
* Futures down: Dow 150 pts, S&P 16.5 pts, Nasdaq 30.25 pts (Updates prices, adds Barnes & Noble results)
By Ryan Vlastelica
NEW YORK, March 10 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Tuesday, pressured by weaker-than-expected data out of China as well as ongoing concerns about debt talks with Greece.
Concern also came from a report that the Basel Committee may ask banks to boost capital as a sufficient cushion in case of spikes in interest rates.
Rate policy has been a primary driver of equities. On Friday, the S&P 500 suffered its biggest one-day decline in almost two months after a stronger-than-expected jobs report was seen as goading the Federal Reserve into speeding up its timeframe for raising rates.
Euro zone ministers agreed that technical talks between finance experts from Athens and its international creditors would start on Wednesday, with the aim of unlocking further funding. However, the ministers warned Greece that it had "no time to lose."
Greece's debt issues have been on the back burner of late for U.S. investors, who continue to watch the region with caution. While the United States has little direct exposure to the country, there are concerns that extended uncertainty could spread throughout the euro zone.
In China, the pace of inflation unexpectedly picked up in February while producer prices continued to slide, underscoring the intense pressure on profit margins at Chinese companies and adding urgency to policymakers' efforts to find new ways to support growth.
Despite the weakness implied by futures, the S&P 500 is about 1.8 percent below its record closing high from last week, while the Dow is about 1.6 percent below its record.
In company news, Qualcomm Inc rose 1.9 percent to $74.12 in premarket trading a day after the chipmaker said it would buy back up to $15 billion of shares and raise its quarterly dividend.
Urban Outfitters Inc late Monday reported earnings that beat expectations, lifted by an increase in same-store sales. Shares rose 6.6 percent to $42.10 before the bell.
On the downside, Barnes & Noble fell 2.5 percent to $24.25 in premarket trading after the company reported a drop in third-quarter sales.
Energy shares will likely be in focus as crude oil fell 0.7 percent, down for its third day of the past four sessions. Exxon Mobil fell 0.6 percent to $84.68 in premarket trading while Halliburton Co was off 2 percent to $41.22.
Futures snapshot at 8:57:
* S&P 500 e-minis were down 16.5 points, or 0.79 percent, with 228,010 contracts changing hands.
* Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 30.25 points, or 0.69 percent, in volume of 32,052 contracts.
* Dow e-minis were down 150 points, or 0.83 percent, with 33,833 contracts changing hands.
(Editing by W Simon and Nick Zieminski)
