Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Friday ahead of consumer price data, while some financial shares rose on news that four insurers can tap government bailout money.

But investors unloaded riskier assets, like stocks, after weak euro zone gross domestic product data fanned concerns about the depth of the global recession.

Data to be released include a report on consumer inflation, a consumer sentiment survey and a report on manufacturing activity in New York State.

Financial shares rose amid news that at least four U.S. insurers won approval on Thursday to tap billions of dollars through the government's bank bailout plan.

Shares in Hartford Financial , the No. 4 U.S. insurer beset by worries about capital levels, rose 10 percent to $16.20 before the bell in light trade. The company got preliminary approval to get access to $3.4 billion via the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP).

Shares of Citigroup Inc rose 3.7 percent to $3.68, and Bank of America Corp edged up 0.2 percent to $11.33.

S&P 500 futures fell 5.7 points and were below fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures shed 32 points, while Nasdaq 100 futures off 8.75 points.

Investment Bank of america Citigroup