Asian shares slipped on Friday despite new stimulus steps taken by three major central banks, as sentiment stayed cautious with the focus now on U.S. jobs data due later in the day. European stocks were likely to decline, with financial spreadbetters calling the main indexes in London, Paris and Frankfurt to open down 0.3-0.8%. U.S.

French bank Societe Generale has cut its funding line to local Greek unit Geniki and is studying possible exit strategies from the recession-wracked Greek economy, analysts who met with SocGen's Chief Financial Officer said. French banks are the top foreign lenders to Greece and have been slashing their exposure over the past year via sales

Greece conceded on Thursday it had slipped "in some respects" in implementing the cuts and reforms demanded by lenders in exchange for saving Athens from bankruptcy, and tried to persuade them to cut the country some slack. Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras made the admission after meeting senior officials from the "troika" of lenders from the

A rally in Asian shares fizzled out on Thursday as markets marked time before the European Central Bank's policy decision later in the day, with the euro staying pressured by widespread expectations of a rate cut to support fragile euro zone growth. The safe-haven U.S. dollar outperformed with its index measured against key currencies gaining

France is to return to Greece 754 million euros in interest payments the Bank of France earned on its Greek bond holdings, according to an amended 2012 budget bill. The European Central Bank indicated in February that national central banks could pass on profits from their Greek bonds to governments, who could then funnel the

Sotheby’s London held three strong sales on Wednesday attracting global buyers and setting a string of new auction records. The top lot of the Old Master and British Paintings Evening Sale was a historic naval scene by Willem Van de Velde the Younger, “The Surrender of the Royal Prince during the Four Days’ Battle, 1st-4th