* Euro rises on short-covering, upbeat data
* BP says oil spill costs hit $1.6 bln
* Futures up: Dow 71 pts; S&P 500 8.9 pts; Nasdaq 12.25
* For up-to-the-minute market news see [
] (Updates prices, adds byline)By Rodrigo Campos
NEW YORK, June 14 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures rose on Monday, building on last week's gains and tracking higher global equities, after strong euro zone industrial data and as oil prices advanced.
European shares hit a four-week high after data showed euro zone industrial output surged in April more than in any month in almost two decades, easing concerns that a slowdown in Europe could curb growth. For details, see [
]Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou told a meeting of bankers he would do what was needed to get Greece back onto a growth track.
A burst of short-covering helped lift the euro further as sentiment towards risky assets improved. The common currency has been a barometer for European stability, with U.S. stocks tracking its movements.
European shares were up 1 percent, while the Nikkei ended nearly 2 percent higher.
Oil futures climbed 2.3 percent to $75.50 per barrel on renewed optimism about a global economic recovery.
"The positive tone this morning stems from the strength in the euro and the confidence in a positive outcome with the European (debt) situation," said Andre Bakhos, director of market analytics at Lek Securities in New York.
"Being in a sensitive, headline-driven market, we find little this morning to weigh down stocks as investors are looking to build on the recent gains."
S&P 500 futures <SPc2> rose 8.9 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 <DJc2> gained 71 points and Nasdaq 100 futures <NDc2> added 12.25 points.
Cablevision Systems Corp <CVC.N> will be in view after the big cable television operator said it will buy Bresnan Communications, which owns systems in the Western United States, for about $1.3 billion. [
]Fertilizer producer Mosaic Co <MOS.N> is in talks to buy Mexico's Grupo Fertinal in a deal worth as much as $1 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported.
BP Plc shares <BP.L><BP.N> fell 5.5 percent in London trading after it said the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico had already cost it $1.6 billion. Its New York-traded stock fell 3.7 percent to $32.73 in premarket trading.
U.S. stocks rose Friday in a late rally as a strong forecast from chipmaker National Semiconductor Corp <NSM.N> lifted technology shares after an unexpected drop in retail sales hurt sentiment.
For the week, the Dow rose 2.8 percent, the S&P gained 2.5 percent, and the Nasdaq advanced 1.1 percent. (Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)