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LONDON – Global stocks rose to seven week highs on Friday led by bank shares after talks on US banking reform collapsed, while speculation the Bank of Japan may soon ease monetary policy weighed on the yen.

Oil held its ground above $82 a barrel, poised for a second consecutive weekly increase on views that energy demand would continue to grow and further helped by a generally softer dollar, which also supported gold prices.

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LONDON – World stocks slipped Thursday while the euro held above a recent 9-month low against the dollar as the European Central Bank prepared to announce next steps in stimulus withdrawal after its policy meeting.

The premium investors demand for holding Greek government bonds rather than those of Germany rose while Greek bank shares also rose after Greece announced it had mandated banks for a long-awaited 10-year bond issue.

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LONDON – European shares rose on Friday at midday, with banking stocks taking the lead and commodity shares tracking higher crude and metal prices.

By 1139 GMT, the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index of top shares was up 0.4 percent at 1,001.14 points. The index, which gained nearly 26 percent in 2009, is down around 4 percent this year.

“Today is the day the markets have decided to have a rebound. Generally, corporate results have been good and have surprised on the upside in both the top line and the bottom line,” said Mike Lenhoff, chief strategist at Brewin Dolphin.

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NEW YORK: The euro fell to a nearly nine-month low against the dollar on Friday as questions remained about a rescue deal for debt-stricken Greece and China unexpectedly raised bank reserve levels.

The euro headed for its fifth weekly drop versus the safe-haven greenback as a lack of details in Thursday’s pledge by the European Union to help Athens kept alive fears of a wider euro zone debt crisis.

That sparked a widening in peripheral euro zone government bond yield spreads against German benchmarks and broader concerns trouble in the currency bloc could hurt global economic recovery.

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NEW YORK: World stocks and the dollar gained on Thursday in a zig-zag session after a deal emerged to help Greece tackle its debt woes, removing some of the uncertainty lingering about a possible sovereign default.

European shares extended the week’s rally to a fourth day as stronger commodity and pharmaceutical shares outpaced a sharp decline in banks, pulled down by uncertainty over details over the rescue plan for Greece. On Wall Street, all three major indexes advanced, also buoyed by data that indicated the US labor market may be healing.

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LONDON – European shares rose Thursday morning for the fourth consecutive session, with banks among the major gainers ahead of a key EU summit which could lay the groundwork for a rescue package of debt-stricken Greece.

By 0925 GMT, the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index was up 0.7 percent at 994.04 points. The index is down 4.8 percent this year after gaining nearly 26 percent in 2009.

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NEW YORK: US and European stocks eked out gains on Monday, lifted by defensive shares, while the euro edged up from 8-1/2-month lows despite persistent worries about the fiscal health of highly indebted nations in the euro zone.

A modest rebound on Wall Street helped pushed the euro to a session high above $1.37, although sentiment toward the single currency remained broadly negative, analysts said. US stocks edged higher after results at drugstore operator CVS Caremark Corp. and toy maker Hasbro Inc. topped expectations and both companies raised their outlooks. Rising defensive stocks such as drug makers helped European shares snap three days of losses, but worries about Greece and other debt-laden European countries kept gains in check.

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NEW YORK: World stock markets slid to three-month lows on Friday as government bonds and the dollar rose as worries intensified over the health of the euro zones weakest economies.

The euro plunged to its lowest level against the dollar since late May on Friday, dragged down by persistent anxiety over the state of public finance in the euro zone and after disappointing US employment figures.

The single European currency in late-day trade fell to 1.3595 dollars, its lowest reading since May 20, against 1.3726 dollars on Thursday in New York. It was later trading at 1.3613 dollars. The dollar was bolstered against both the euro and yen after a report on US payrolls showed American employers cut more jobs in January even as the unemployment rate fell.

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NEW YORK – US stocks clawed into positive territory in a late rally in highly volatile trade Friday after the much-awaited jobs report presented a muddled picture on the troubled labor sector.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 13.83 points (0.14 percent) to 10,016.01 at the market close, clawing back from an intraday loss of more than 160 points.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite gained 15.69 points (0.74 percent) to 2,141.12 and the broad-market Standard & Poors 500 index advanced 3.25 points (0.31 percent) to a preliminary close at 1,066.36.

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LONDON/NEW YORK: The euro hit a seven-month low to the dollar on Thursday as concern over Greeces fiscal woes spread to other highly-indebted euro zone countries, while world stocks accelerated their fall after disappointing US labor market data.

The European Union said on Wednesday Greeces plans to cut the budget gap from 12.7 percent of gross domestic product in 2009 to below 3 percent in 2012 would not be easy to implement but vowed to hold Athens to its pledges.

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