* Euro gains against dollar as G20 discussions underway
* SanDisk shares jump a day after earnings
* Futures: Dow off 9 pts, S&P up 2.7 pts; Nasdaq up 8.5
By Rodrigo Campos
NEW YORK, Oct 22 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures ticked higher on Friday as a Group of 20 nations meeting that sought a common path to manage global currency, trade and macroeconomic imbalances kept investors skittish and markets choppy.
S&P 500 futures sent a bullish signal as the index's 50-day moving average crossed above its 200-day moving average, a technical event known as a golden cross. That upward momentum indicator last occurred in June 2009, and futures rose about 35 percent in the following 10 months.
"The center of attraction is the G20," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Avalon Partners in New York.
"There seems to be division among the group. A lot of this is already in the marketplace, but I suspect a repeat of yesterday in terms of a choppy market," he said.
S&P 500 futures rose 3 points and ticked above 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 dropped 9 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures added 8.5 points.
Boosting Nasdaq futures, SanDisk Corp gained nearly 5 percent in premarket trading a day after the flash memory maker beat profit and margin estimates, and forecast a 2011 surge in demand as more consumers opt for smartphones and tablets.
The U.S. dollar dipped against a basket of currencies on wariness over whether any clear deal would be reached at the G20 rich and emerging nations meeting in South Korea, where the United States urged members to avoid using their currencies for economic advantage.
Schlumberger Ltd, the world's largest oilfield services provider, reported a jump in quarterly profit and its shares edged up 1 percent in light premarket trading.
Diversified U.S. manufacturer Honeywell International Inc reported quarterly earnings that topped expectations and raised its profit forecast, and its shares ticked 1 percent higher in light trade.
Verizon Communications Inc dipped 0.2 percent after posting results.
AIA, the Asian life insurance arm of American International Group Inc, is set to raise $17.9 billion after pricing its Hong Kong initial public offering at the top of its expected range.
Two top U.S. Federal Reserve officials gave competing views on the need for more stimulus for the economy, continuing a public debate over further easing, even though the Fed's core view appears to favor such a move.
Growing speculation in recent weeks that the Fed will extend the quantitative easing measures at its next meeting in November has pressured the dollar while boosting equities, but uncertainty over the extent of the stimulus has caused some market volatility.
Wall Street edged higher in a choppy session on Thursday, buoyed by robust earnings, but a firmer U.S. dollar limited gains.