TSX to open lower on soft U.S. data; RIM eyed

(Reuters) - Canadian stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wednesday after U.S. data showed the world's largest economy unexpectedly contracted in fourth quarter.

TOP STORIES

* The U.S. economy unexpectedly contracted in the fourth quarter, suffering its first decline since the 2007-09 recession as businesses scaled back on restocking and government spending plunged.

* The innovative line of BlackBerry smartphones that Research In Motion Ltd will formally unveil on Wednesday has already succeeded on one crucial count - getting RIM back in the conversation.

* The Federal Reserve is expected to keep monetary policy on a steady path when it concludes a two-day meeting, though behind the scenes intensive debate continues over when the controversial bond-buying program should be curtailed.

* Boeing Co reported profit dipped in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, and said its 2013 forecast 'assumes no significant financial impact' from the grounding of its 787 Dreamliner passenger jet by regulators.

* Spain's economy sank deeper into recession in the fourth quarter of 2012, shrinking at the fastest pace in a year as budget cutbacks and high unemployment prompted households to slash spending.

* Euro zone economic sentiment improved more than expected across all sectors in January, rising for the third time in a row in a sign the economy could be emerging from a low point in the fourth quarter of 2012.

* Chesapeake Energy Corp said on Tuesday that Aubrey McClendon will step down as chief executive after a tumultuous year in which a series of Reuters investigations triggered civil and criminal probes of the second-largest U.S. natural gas producer.

(Reporting by Chandrashekhar Modi; Editing by Jeffrey Hodgson)