GLOBAL MARKETS-Shares rise on U.S. housing data; Ukraine vote looms

* Better-than-expected housing data lifts Wall Street to

record

* Bond prices rise on safe-haven bid before Greece, Ukraine

voting

* Brent settles above $110 on Ukraine, Libya support

* Euro falls to 3-month low on German data, EU election

uncertainty

(Adds oil settlement prices)

By Herbert Lash

NEW YORK (Frankfurt: HX6.F - news) , May 23 (Reuters) - Global equity markets edged

higher on Friday after better-than-expected U.S. housing data

lifted Wall Street into record territory, but yields on

Treasuries fell on uncertainty about elections in Ukraine over

the weekend.

The benchmark S&P 500 rose above a closing record high set

10 days ago, but was still shy of an all-time intraday high

above 1,900. MSCI (NYSE: MSCI - news) 's measure of global equity performance closed

in on all-time peaks last seen in November 2007.

But the gains were likely a precursor to selling pressure

before the close, when U.S. investors are likely to fret about

the outcome of the Ukraine elections over a long weekend.

"You had a positive data point this morning with the new

home sales and the revision of the prior month, so all that's

great," said Philip Orlando, chief equity market strategist at

Federated Investors in New York.

"But it would not surprise me if we saw some profit-taking

toward the end of the day to position going into the long

weekend with this Ukraine-Russia standoff out there on the

horizon," he added.

Sales of new U.S. single-family homes rose more than

expected in April and the number of houses on the market hit a

3-1/2 year-high, further signs the housing recovery is poised to

regain steam, the Commerce Department said.

MSCI's all-country world index rose 0.3

percent to 418.33, about 2.4 percent from all-time peaks set in

November 2007.

In Europe, the FTSEuroFirst 300 index of leading regional

shares closed up 0.21 percent to 1,369.17.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 60.57 points,

or 0.37 percent, at 16,603.65. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index

was up 7.91 points, or 0.42 percent, at 1,900.40. The

Nasdaq Composite Index was up 29.65 points, or 0.71

percent, at 4,183.99.

Traders sought safe-haven bonds on the belief that elections

in Greece and Ukraine could result in market volatility,

including renewed worries of a Greek exit from the euro and the

potential for greater tensions surrounding Ukraine.

"European parliamentary elections and Ukraine elections are

key events in the near term which could be driving people into

the safety of U.S. Treasuries," said Robbert Van Batenburg,

director of market strategy at Newedge USA LLC in New York.

If Greece's leftist Syriza party wins, its leaders could

reject the government's austerity policies and threaten to leave

the euro zone, he said. If pro-separatist voters in eastern

Ukraine fail to participate, it could stoke further tensions

between Russia and Ukraine.

U.S. government bond prices rose, with the 10-year note

up 5/32, yielding 2.5356 percent.

The euro fell to a three-month low of $1.3614 and a 17-month

trough against the pound after soft German business sentiment

stoked expectations the European Central Bank will lower

interest rates next month.

Concerns that Sunday's European Union election results could

destabilize some euro zone governments also weighed on the euro.

The euro was last at $1.3633, down 0.15 percent. The

dollar gained 0.24 percent against the yen at 101.96.

Brent crude held above $110 a barrel as U.S. crude futures

pushed higher, supported by the crises in Ukraine and Libya as

well as positive economic data in the world's top two oil

consumers, the United States and China.

Brent settled up 18 cents at $110.54 a barrel. U.S.

crude gained 61 cents to $104.35.

Both Brent and U.S. crude futures posted consecutive weekly

gains.

(Reporting by Herbert Lash; Editing by Nick Zieminski, Meredith (Frankfurt: MEZ.F - news)

Mazzilli and Dan Grebler)