* China to raise banks' reserve requirements
* Bernanke hits back at Fed critics
* Del Monte shares rally on KKR deal report
* Futures down: Dow 53 pts, S&P 5.1 pts, Nasdaq 7.75 pts (Updates prices, adds quote)
By Ryan Vlastelica
NEW YORK, Nov 19 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Friday after China's central bank took steps to battle inflation.
The People's Bank of China said it will raise bank reserve requirements for the second time in two weeks, stepping up its fight to rein in prices.
Concerns about the effects of China inflation along with debt woes in Europe have pressured equities in recent weeks. A possible resolution to Ireland's debt crisis sparked a big rally on Thursday.
"After the move we had yesterday, we need an excuse to correct and China is that excuse," said James Meyer, chief investment officer at Tower Bridge Advisers in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania
"There's no fundamental reason why stocks should be selling off in a serious way, but this and the lack of a deal in Ireland are the kinds of events that get everyone's angst up."
Crude oil futures fell nearly 1 percent, while gold December contract dropped 0.6 percent. The U.S. dollar index was off 0.1 percent.
Despite Thursday's gains, the S&P 500 hovered around 1,200 for most of the session but failed to hold above the key level and could mean the index trades in a tight range for the rest of the year.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke hit back at critics of the U.S. central bank's controversial bond-buying program and issued a thinly veiled attack on China's policy of keeping its currency depressed. The prepared comments were for a conference at the European Central Bank in Frankfurt Friday.
S&P 500 futures fell 5.1 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 slid 53 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures lost 7.75 points.
Del Monte Foods Co rose 11 percent to $17.48 in premarket trading after sources said private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co was in advanced talks to buy the company.
Dell Inc rose 2.4 percent to $14 before the bell after it raised its profit view and reported quarterly margins that easily topped estimates late Thursday.
H.J. Heinz Co posted higher quarterly profit and raised its forecast for free cash. Shares slid 4 cents to $48.15 in light premarket action.
A day after General Motors Co made a triumphant return to Wall Street with the largest initial public offering in U.S. history, Harrah's Entertainment terminated its own IPO, citing market conditions.
GM shares rallied throughout Thursday's session, but were down 1 percent to $33.85 premarket Friday as prospects for the formerly bankrupt automaker drew a mixed review from investors.
"A lot of people flipped GM's IPO yesterday, so the shares should settle over the coming week," Meyer said. "Where it goes from there depends on auto sales, which actually look pretty good."
H.J. Heinz Co posted higher quarterly profit and raised its forecast for free cash.