The dollar fell to an eight-month low against the yen on Friday while European and Asian shares slipped on worries U.S. growth data due later in the day may show the world's biggest economy is losing steam. The retreat in stocks fed a rally in lower risk euro zone and U.S. government bond prices, with

Airbus parent EADS made sweeping increases in its financial forecasts on Thursday and pledged to increase jetliner production after a spate of new orders raised hopes of an end to a steep industry recession. The move by the world's largest civil planemaker comes as rival Boeing also considers whether to increase output of popular models,

Internet and phone provider TalkTalk signed a deal with Vodafone to launch a mobile service under its own brand, adding mobile voice and data tariffs to its bundle of services to match competitors. TalkTalk, which was spun out of mobile phone retail group Carphone Warehouse in April, said it would offer contract mobile voice and

National Bank of Greece the country's largest lender, said on Friday it completed an issue of covered bonds totalling 1.5 billion euros ($1.95 billion). The bonds, secured by a cover pool of residential mortgages in euro and foreign currency originated by the bank, are part of the group's 15 billion euro covered bond programme established

Asian stocks sagged on Friday as worries U.S. growth data may surprise on the downside and downbeat comments from a Federal Reserve official gave investors reason to book profits from a steady rally this month. European shares were set to open lower for the third consecutive session, financial bookmakers said, with Britain's FTSE 100, Germany's

France's EDF, Europe's second-largest utility by sales, kept its targets for the year as it confirmed the sale of its UK power grids for 5.8 bln pounds to firms controlled by Asia's richest man, Li Ka-shing. The Paris-based company said it had received an irrevocable offer for the grids from a consortium of Cheung Kong

U.S. economic growth likely slowed in the second quarter as a capital investment drive by businesses was sated by imports and consumer spending tapered off, a government report is expected to show on Friday. Gross domestic product expanded at a 2.5% annual rate compared to a 2.7% pace in the first quarter, according to a

Three months after the catastrophic oil rig explosion that sent millions of gallons of crude spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. House of of Representatives was poised on Friday to debate legislation clamping down on the industry's offshore drilling practices. The Democratic-led House is expected to pass the legislation that could have a

Bulgaria has exported 51,000 tonnes of wheat from its new crop, mainly to Spain, Italy and Portugal, and another 110,000 tonnes are being loaded, an official familiar with shipping data said on Thursday. A surge in the wheat prices has boosted wheat exports from Bulgaria and the Black Sea country is expected to export about

Economic sentiment has improved in Cyprus in July as the data released today by the Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission (EC) indicate. The Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) in the Eurozone countries recorded in July an increase to 101.3 from 99 units in June, while it increased by 1.9 points