_Economy and Finance

French credit review threatens euro zone rescues By Paul Taylor and Nicholas Vinocur PARIS | Tue Oct 18, 2011 4:38am EDT (Reuters) - Moody's decision to review France's triple-A credit rating cast new doubt on Tuesday on Europe's hopes of drawing a line under its sovereign debt crisis, five days before a crucial EU summit.

Greece : Improved Debt Sustainability The EU Summit agreed a maturity extension and a reduction in the interest rates on both existing and new loans provided by the EFSF.

Exclusive: EU calls emergency meeting as crisis stalks Italy By Luke Baker BRUSSELS | Sun Jul 10, 2011 2:45pm EDT ( Reuters ) - European Council President Herman Van Rompuy has called an emergency meeting of top officials dealing with the euro zone debt crisis for Monday morning, reflecting concern that the crisis could spread to Italy, the region's third largest economy.

CNNMoney: Greece austerity: Cure or poison? By Aaron Smith @CNNMoney June 28, 2011: 2:39 PM ET NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Riots have erupted in Athens once again, as the Greeks -- already burdened by the most severe austerity measures in Europe -- protest the next potential wave of belt-tightening in the ongoing debt crisis.

Reuters: Exclusive: EU has Plan B if Greece rejects austerity -sources By Luke Baker and Julien Toyer BRUSSELS | Mon Jun 27, 2011 11:01am EDT (Reuters) - European Union officials are working on a contingency plan for Greece if its parliament rejects an austerity program and the country cannot receive the next instalment of EU/IMF emergency loans, three euro zone sources said on Monday.

Reuters : France, banks agree Greek debt proposa:source PARIS | Sun Jun 26, 2011 5:34pm EDT ( Reuters ) - The French government and banks have agreed on a proposal to make a Greek debt rollover more palatable to creditors, a banking source said on Sunday, confirming a report in Le Figaro newspaper.

Reuters : Greece in deal with EU/IMF on austerity plan By Ingrid Melander and Paul Taylor ATHENS/BRUSSELS | Thu Jun 23, 2011 6:39pm EDT ( Reuters ) - European Union leaders promised more money to help Greece stave off looming bankruptcy, provided its parliament enacts an austerity plan finalized in fraught last-minute talks with international lenders.

Reuters : PIMCO head predicts Greece, others will default TAIPEI | Tue Jun 21, 2011 11:11pm EDT (Reuters) - The head of PIMCO, the world's biggest bond fund, predicted that Greece and other European economies would default on their debts to resolve their problems as the euro area faces a debt crisis.

USA TODAY : Hydra-headed Greek crisis rises anew By Scott Patterson, USA TODAY The crisis in Greece has been a lot like that never-say-die monster in B horror flicks that keeps popping up to scare the audience, even after it's been gunned down a dozen times. In the past week, the Greek crisis reared its head again, triggering a sell-off of risky assets around the globe. What happened this time?

EU, IMF to judge Greece as protests swell By Angeliki Koutantou ATHENS | Sun May 29, 2011 9:33pm EDT ( Reuters ) - European Union and IMF officials are expected to deliver their verdict this week on Greece's faltering drive to bring its budget deficit under control, but ordinary Greeks have warned that their patience is running thin.

In Europe, Rifts Widen Over Greece By LANDON THOMAS Jr. Published: May 23, 2011 LONDON — Fissures among Europe’s currency partners are becoming even deeper and more widespread than was previously evident, raising new doubts about whether the group can resolve the regional debt crisis that has simmered for more than a year.

Euro zone debtors under pressure over new risks (Reuters) - Financial markets piled pressure on heavily indebted euro zone countries on Monday as investors worried about heightened risks in Spain and Greece and ratings agencies stoked new concerns over Italy and Belgium.

MARKETS |MARCH 29, 2011, 3:31 P.M. ET S&P Downgrades Portugal, Greece By GEOFFREY T. SMITH LONDON—Rating agency Standard & Poor's on Tuesday delivered a damning verdict of the euro zone's new plans for resolving sovereign debt crises, downgrading two of the euro zone's most troubled member states.

ECONOMY |MARCH 7, 2011, 1:28 P.M. ET Moody's Downgrades Greece By NATASHA BRERETON And ALKMAN GRANITSAS SINGAPORE—Moody's Investors Service Inc. lowered Greece's credit rating by three notches Monday and signaled it could cut the rating even further, dragging the country's debt deeper into junk-grade territory.