U.S. futures rise on hopes for Greece deal; data eyed

[June 23, 2015]  By Tanya Agrawal

(Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were higher on Tuesday as investors expect a deal that would prevent Greece from defaulting on loans and await a host of data that will give clues on the health of the U.S. economy.

* Global markets were higher, with European shares climbing to a three-week high, extending the previous session's rally on expectations that Greece was getting closer to a debt deal.

* Athens presented new reform proposals which were cautiously welcomed by euro zone finance ministers on Monday, though the Eurogroup said the proposals required detailed study and that it would take several days to determine whether they can lead to an agreement.

* U.S. stocks closed higher on Monday with the Nasdaq hitting a record high on Greece deal optimism, merger and acquisition activity and better-than-expected growth in existing home sales in May.

* A gauge of U.S. business spending will likely show orders for long-lasting U.S.-made goods slipped in May. Economists expect overall durable goods orders to have fallen 0.6 percent. That data is expected at 8:30 a.m. ET.

* May data for new home sales and Federal Housing

Finance Agency house price index for April is expected at 10:00 a.m. ET. Financial data firm Markit releases Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index for June, which is expected to have slightly increased to 54.2 from 54.0 in May. That data is expected at 9:45 a.m. ET.

* Darden Restaurants' <DRI.N> shares rose 5.8 percent to $73.38 in premarket trading after the Olive Garden owner said it intends to separate a portion of its real estate assets into a real estate investment trust, proceeds of which will be used to pay down debt.

* U.S.-listed shares of BlackBerry jumped 7.6 percent to $9.90 after reporting quarterly results.

Futures snapshot at 7:14 a.m. ET:

* S&P 500 e-minis <ESc1> were up 3.25 points, or 0.15 percent, with 89,752 contracts traded.

* Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 8.25 points, or 0.18 percent, on volume of 8,690 contracts.

* Dow e-minis were up 19 points, or 0.11 percent, with 9,589 contracts changing hands.

(Editing by Don Sebastian)

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