By Jennifer Coogan

NEW YORK, Aug 4 (Reuters) U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Friday as investors stayed cautious before July payrolls data, seen as a key factor in whether the Federal Reserve will pause in its campaign of raising interest rates.

Apple Computer Inc. may be in focus after it said late on Thursday it would likely restate earnings and will delay filing its quarterly report because of irregularities in accounting for stock options. Apple's shares fell 6.6 percent in extended-hours trading. For details, see ID:nN03373355.

Strong job growth could lead the Fed to raise rates for an 18th straight time to tame inflation when the U.S. central bank meets on Tuesday. Higher rates typically hurt stocks since they can slow economic growth, curb consumer spending and crimp profits.

Japan's Nikkei share average rose slightly, while Taiwan's and Hong Kong's major benchmarks ended lower. For the week so far, the Dow and S&P 500 are up by less than a quarter-percentage point. The Nasdaq is little changed on the week.

''The overseas markets just show that investors are very reluctant to take a big position at this point, which is why the market didn't go very far this week,'' said Peter Dunay, chief investment strategist at Leeb Index Trader in New York.

S&P 500 futures were down 0.9 point, slightly above fair value, a mathematical formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract.

Dow Jones industrial average futures fell 7 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures slipped 2.25 points.

Economists forecast employers added 142,000 workers to their payrolls in July, up from 121,000 in June. The unemployment is expected to remain steady at 4.6 percent.

The Labor Department will release the jobs data at 8:30 a.m. (1230 GMT).

Home builder shares may be under pressure after Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. on Friday cut its quarterly and full-year profit outlook, citing a slowdown in sales and high contract cancellation rates ID:nN04381518.

On Thursday, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 42.66 points, or 0.38 percent, to end at 11,242.59. The Standard&Poor's 500 Index .SPX> was up 1.72 points, or 0.13 percent, to finish at 1,280.27. The Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC> was up 13.53 points, or 0.65 percent, to close at 2,092.34.

REUTERS PKS DS1652