Dec 28 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index looked set to open lower on Friday as investors waited to see if a deal to avoid the U.S. "fiscal cliff" would be reached before a New Year deadline. TOP STORIES * President Barack Obama and lawmakers are launching a last-chance round of budget talks days before a New Year's deadline to reach a deal or watch the economy go off a "fiscal cliff." * China's CNOOC Ltd said it expects its $15.1 billion takeover of Canadian oil and gas producer Nexen Inc to close in the first quarter of 2013 at the earliest, a move that could be aimed at giving U.S. regulators more time to approve a sensitive aspect of the deal. * Greece's central bank said the country's four biggest banks needed 27.5 billion euros of fresh capital to restore their solvency ratios, confirming disclosures by the lenders last week. * Mike Lynch, the founder of the software firm sold to Hewlett-Packard last year in a deal tainted by accusations of accounting fraud, said he would defend the company's accounts to U.S Federal investigators. MARKET SNAPSHOT * Canada stock futures traded down 0.25 percent * U.S. stock futures , , were down around 0.45 percent * European shares, were down COMMODITY PRICE MOVES * Thomson Reuters-Jefferies CRB Index : 295.4688; fell 0.18 percent * Gold futures : $1659.9; fell 0.17 percent * US crude : $90.85; fell 0.02 percent * Brent crude : $110.48; fell 0.29 percent * LME 3-month copper : $7889.25; fell 0.33 percent ON THE CALENDAR * No major Canadian economic data scheduled for release * Major U.S. events and data includes Chicago PMI and pending home sales

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