* Fed hints at more easing; gold hits new high
* Microsoft raises quarterly dividend 23 pct
* Adobe Systems slides premarket after forecast
* Futures down: S&P 0.8 pt, Dow 14 pts, Nasdaq 8 pts (Updates prices)
By Angela Moon
NEW YORK, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Wall Street was set for a lower open on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve hinted it may further ease monetary policy to spur the economy, sending gold prices to a record high and treasury yields lower.
Pressuring the Nasdaq index futures, Microsoft Corp dropped 1 percent at $24.90 ahead of the opening bell after it raised the quarterly dividend, marking the latest move by a technology company to return cash to shareholders frustrated by stagnant stock prices.
Gold hit a record high above $1,295 per ounce on concerns over inflation, while the U.S. two-year Treasury-note yield fell to a record low as Treasury prices extended gains on hopes the Fed could greatly enlarge its buying of Treasuries.
"The Fed comment was certainly not unexpected, but it does lower the bar for the economy. There is a continuous flight to safety and the fact that major indexes broke above technical range is certainly making people think about a minor correction," said Tim Ghriskey, chief investment officer of Solaris Asset Management in New York.
S&P 500 futures fell 0.8 point 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 dropped 14 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures dipped 8 points.
The Fed statement halted a rally that sparked the S&P 500 to rally nearly 9 percent from a month ago. The index closed at a four-month high Monday.
Shares in Adobe Systems Inc slid about 21 percent to $25.92 after the software maker forecast lower-than-expect revenues late Tuesday.
Potentially unsettling Wall Street, White House economic adviser Larry Summers said he will leave as director of the White House National Economic Council, marking a major staff shake-up for U.S. President Barack Obama as he faces pressure to revive the economy.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is to appear at a House Financial Services Committee hearing on the state of the international financial system.
On the earnings front, cereal maker General Mills Inc reported slightly better-than-expected quarterly profit early Wednesday. The stock rose 1 percent at $36.02 premarket, reversing earlier losses.
EBay Inc fell 4.6 percent to $23.60 premarket after the online auctioneer forecast third-quarter results near the high end of its July outlook.
China's foreign ministry told the United States to stop pushing for a stronger yuan, saying Washington should instead focus on spurring its slumping economy. The yuan extended gains to a ninth day, its longest rally since it a revaluation in July 2005.