Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Friday as a profit miss from Caterpillar and disappointing sales from Microsoft overshadowed strong profits from GE and McDonald's and a new deal to help Greece.

Caterpillar Inc shares fell 5.2 percent to $105.79 in premarket after its second-quarter profit missed estimates and said the U.S. recovery was weaker than expected.

Microsoft Corp posted a greater-than-expected jump in its fourth-quarter profit, but sales at its core Windows product fell. The Dow component slipped 0.8 percent to $26.88 premarket.

On the plus side, General Electric Co rose 2 percent to $19.55 premarket after it reported a 21.6 percent jump in quarterly, beating expectations.

Overall this earnings season is strong, and GE especially looked good overall, but you can never ignore what Caterpillar says, said Sal Catrini, managing director for equities at Cantor Fitzgerald & Co in New York.

Caterpillar tellingly spoke of an uncertain business environment, which shouldn't be a surprise, but it is weighing on the stock, and on Deere.

Deere & Co fell 1.6 percent to $81 premarket, while Joy Global Inc lost 3.3 percent to $96.98.

S&P 500 futures fell 1.4 points and were 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 dipped 34 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures took off 10.5 points.

Euro zone leaders agreed on a second rescue package for Greece that could trigger a temporary default and would give a financial rescue fund broader powers to try to prevent a spread of market instability.

Worries that euro-zone debt contagion could reach regions where U.S. banks have more exposure have pressured equities in recent weeks.

Verizon Communications Inc swung to a second-quarter profit that beat expectations and named a new chief executive officer, while McDonald's Corp also posted a better-than-anticipated profit.

Verizon slipped 0.9 percent to $37.24, while McDonald's gained 2.2 percent to $88.48.

Verizon and McDonald's, along with Caterpillar, GE and Microsoft, are all Dow components.

Equities have also been pressured by the drawn-out wrangling to reach a deal to raise the U.S. debt ceiling. Efforts to raise the ceiling and avoid a U.S. default are in crunch time, with U.S. President Barack Obama and top lawmakers engaged in a sometimes chaotic drive to reach a sweeping deficit-reduction deal.

The Justice Department is looking into allegations a News Corp advertising unit hacked into a competitor's computers, NBC News reported, citing the competitor's lawyer. News Corp dropped 2 percent to $16.15 before the bell and is down 8.7 percent from its July 1 close to its Thursday close.

Stocks climbed on Thursday as signs of progress on the U.S. debt talks and concrete action from Europe on its own debt crisis heartened investors.

(Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

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