(For a Reuters live blog on U.S., UK and European stock

markets, click or type LIVE/ in a news window.)

*

Futures down: Dow 0.4%, S&P 500 0.64%, Nasdaq 0.84%

*

Fed Chair Jerome Powell to speak later in the day

*

UnitedHealth ( UNH ) down after report co under criminal probe

May 15 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures slipped on

Thursday as a rally fueled by the U.S.-China tariff truce

appeared to ease, while UnitedHealth ( UNH ) fell after a report of a

DoJ investigation into the health insurer.

Investors will also focus on comments from Federal Reserve

Chair Jerome Powell due later in the day, while earnings update

from Walmart ( WMT ) will give further evidence on the health of

the U.S. consumer. The retailer's shares inched up in premarket

trading.

UnitedHealth Group ( UNH ) dropped 4.7% after the Wall

Street Journal reported the U.S. Department of Justice is

carrying out a criminal investigation into the health insurer

for possible Medicare fraud.

The company said it has not been informed of criminal probe

by federal prosecutors.

At 05:08 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were down 169 points,

or 0.4%, S&P 500 E-minis were down 37.75 points, or

0.64% and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were down 179.25 points, or

0.84%.

Investors will look out for comments from Powell later in

the day after some Fed officials said earlier this week that

policymakers are leaving interest rates unchanged while they try

to assess how tariffs and trade negotiations will affect prices

and the economy.

A reading of producer prices and retail sales for April,

along with weekly jobless claims data are due at 8:30 a.m. ET.

The data comes at the heels of a tame consumer prices

reading earlier this week, which showed consumer prices

rebounded moderately last month.

In results-driven moves, Cisco Systems ( CSCO ) gained 4.7%

after the networking equipment maker raised its annual forecasts

and named Mark Patterson as its new CFO.

Stocks have been on a roller-coaster ride this week. They

rallied on Monday and Tuesday after the United States and China

hit pause for 90 days on their fierce tariff dispute.

These initial gains saw the S&P turn positive on a

year-to-date basis for the first time since late February,

though it still remains about 4% away from its all-time highs.

However, stocks paused in the last session as markets

awaited fresh catalysts, with the S&P 500 notching marginal

gains, while the Dow ended lower.

Most megacap and growth stocks, which have seen strong gains

so far this week, slipped, with Nvidia ( NVDA ) falling 2.3% and

Tesla shedding 3.3%.

Other major movers included Foot Locker ( FL ), which soared

70.6% after the Wall Street Journal reported that rival Dick's

Sporting Goods was nearing a deal to buy the footwear

retailer for about $2.3 billion.

Top oil producer Chevron ( CVX ) and Exxon Mobil ( XOM )

dropped about 1.5% each as oil prices slid more than 3% on

expectations for a U.S.-Iran nuclear deal that could result in

sanctions easing.

U.S. President Donald Trump - who is on a four-day tour of

the Gulf region - said that the United States was getting very

close to securing a nuclear deal with Iran, and Tehran had "sort

of" agreed to the terms.

(Reporting by Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by

Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)