Greece has passed its first borrowing test since euro zone leaders agreed on a potential aid package, but the high price it paid on Tuesday for short term cash failed to quash doubts that it can beat its crisis alone. The debt-laden Mediterranean state drew heavy demand at auctions in which it sold 1.56 billion

No country will block Greece's potential access to EU/IMF aid if the European Commission and European Central Bank issue a positive recommendation that it should be used, Greece's finance minister said late on Tuesday. Some analysts have said Greece could face resistance in tapping the package worth an estimated 45 billion euros ($61 billion) in

Moody's Investors Service has upgraded Lebanon's government bond ratings to B1 from B2, continuing on the trends that led it to place Lebanon's sovereign ratings on positive outlook in December 2009. These included a sustained improvement in external liquidity, strengthened ability of the country's resilient banking system to finance fiscal deficits, and an amelioration of

The performance of the UK buy-to-let (BTL) residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) market was mixed during the three months to February, according to the latest quarterly indices published by Moody's Investors Service. Moody's repossessions trend was stable at 0.19% in February, having recorded 0.18% in November 2009. The 90-days plus delinquency trend performance improved during the

The outlook for the global beverage industry remains stable, reflecting a resilient performance and companies' continued focus on reducing capital investments and costs amidst a still difficult consumer environment, Moody's Investors Service said. Although there are signs that consumer spending trends have started to stabilise or improve, the rating agency does not envisage changing the

U.S. stock index futures slipped on Tuesday, a day after Alcoa reported in-line quarterly profit but lower-than-expected revenues as the Dow closed above 11,000 for the first time in almost 19 months. Alcoa Inc (AA.N), a Dow component, said results benefited from higher prices and that its markets were improving, but warned it could face

Greek government bonds gave a cautious thumbs-up to a treasury bill sale on Tuesday which showed Athens had to pay very high yields to entice buyers, keeping alive worries about Greece's funding costs. The yields of 4.85 percent and 4.55 percent for one-year and 6-month bills respectively allowed Greece to raise 1.56 billion euros, above

The euro erased short-lived gains while German government bonds drew support on Tuesday after a debt sale by Greece that, while successful, reminded investors the country's borrowing costs remain very high. World stocks fell from the previous day's 18-1/2 month high as investors awaited a slew of key corporate earnings to help gauge the strength