U.S. stock futures up, worries linger about Greece

NEW YORK — U.S. stock futures are edging higher on strong data from the housing sector, yet worries persist that Greek debt problems could fracture the European Union and roil global markets.

Dow Jones industrial average futures are up 62 points to 12,667. Standard & Poor’s 500 futures are up 7.9 points to 1,336.1. Nasdaq composite futures are up 15.25 points to 2,593.5.

U.S. home builders started work on 717,000 homes last month, a surprisingly strong number that suggests the housing market is rebounding.

Yet futures barely budged after the report with a potentially chaotic situation developing in Greece, where power-sharing talks collapsed Tuesday.

New elections were called for next month, which could determine if the country, reeling from two years of financial turmoil, could bolt from the EU.