U.S. markets sputter at the start

U.S. markets continued a downward track Tuesday as union workers in Greece called a 24-hour strike to protest a new austerity budget package. Leaders of the Greek government Monday announced an agreement to cut 15,000 public jobs through attrition. The cuts were made to help Greece comply with financial mandates set by the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund to allow Greece to qualify for continued international assistance. The strike is a vivid reminder that there is more work to be done. Greece has yet to reach an agreement with creditors. In mid-morning trading Tuesday, the Dow Jones industrial average gave up 15.71 points, or 0.12 percent, to 12,829.40. The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 5.89 points, or 0.44 percent, to 1,338.44. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index dropped 9.37 points, or 0.32 percent, to 2,892.62. The 10-year treasury note was yielding 1.96 percent. The euro rose to $1.3214 from Monday's $1.3122. Against the yen, the dollar rose to 77.45 from Monday's 76.58 yen. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index shed 0.13 percent, 11.68 points, to reach 8,917.52. The euro fell to $1.3122 from Friday's $1.3159. Against the yen, the dollar fell to 76.58 from Friday's 76.6 yen.