US STOCKS-Futures hit by U.S.-China tension; airlines tumble as Berkshire pulls away

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* Pompeo says "significant evidence" virus emerged from lab
* Airlines fall as Buffet dumps stake; Boeing also down
* Futures fall: Dow 1.13%, S&P 500 0.85%, Nasdaq 0.85%

(Adds comments, details, updates prices)
By Shreyashi Sanyal and Medha Singh
May 4 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures retreated on
Monday after a fresh spat between Washington and Beijing over
the origin of the novel coronavirus, while airlines slumped as
Berkshire Hathaway dumped its holdings in the sector.
Delta Air Lines DAL.N , American Airlines Co AAL.O ,
Southwest Airlines Co LUV.N and United Airlines UAL.O fell
between 8% and 11% in premarket trading, adding to their woes as
air travel remains restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Warren Buffett-backed Berkshire's BRKa.N move also shaved
more than 5% off planemaker Boeing Co's BA.N shares.
Berkshire Hathaway itself posted a record quarterly net loss
of nearly $50 billion and said its performance was suffering in
several major operating businesses. Its shares fell 1.4%.
Over the weekend, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said
there was "a significant amount of evidence" that the
coronavirus emerged from a Chinese laboratory, but did not
dispute U.S. intelligence agencies' conclusion that it was not
man-made. An editorial in China's Global Times said Pompeo was
"bluffing". Pompeo's statement comes after Wall Street started May on a
grim note as President Donald Trump revived a threat of new
tariffs against China in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"When you think how nervous markets got about the U.S.-China
trade war then if this theme continues you can't help thinking
that the end game is far worse than it would be from a simple
trade war," said Jim Reid, a strategist at Deutsche Bank.
The S&P 500 index's .SPX 29% recovery from its March lows
stands to be tested as investors weigh renewed U.S.-China
tensions and the economic damage of the health crisis.
At 7:28 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis 1YMcv1 were down 267 points,
or 1.13%. S&P 500 e-minis EScv1 were down 24 points, or 0.85%
and Nasdaq 100 e-minis NQcv1 were down 74 points, or 0.85%.
Investors are also awaiting factory orders data for March,
which is expected to show a sharp decline.
With more than half of the S&P 500 companies having reported
earnings so far, analysts now see first-quarter S&P 500 earnings
falling 12.7% from a year ago, and an even sharper 37.8% decline
for the second quarter.