greece

Greece sold more debt than expected today as investors snapped up the issuance of short-term government bonds.

Euphoria over a joint EU-IMF rescue deal for Greece worth €45bn (£39.8bn) appears short-lived, after angry reactions in Germany and continued concerns among bond investors any bail-out merely delays the worst.

The FTSE has continued Friday's sharp rise in early trading - up 20.99 points (0.36%) at 5,791.97 - buoyed by the eurozone's agreement to offer a £30bn loan package to Greece.

The FTSE is heading for a sixth straight weekly gain amid speculation a bailout for Greece is imminent.

Greece's financial problems continue to deteriorate as its four biggest banks have been forced to ask for State aid and government bond yields rise to fresh highs.

Greece will this month launch a multibillion-dollar bond in the US, selling itself for the first time as an emerging market country as demand for its debt dwindles in Europe.

Greece plans to raise €5bn from a new seven-year bond in its first attempt to raise funds since the EU-backed safety net agreement for the country.

A £20bn bailout plan to help debt-laden Greece has been agreed by all 16 eurozone countries.

Greece's economy is expected to contract at a higher-than-expected rate this year, says the country's central bank.

A former employee of Lloyds Banking Group has accused the bank of artificially inflating its profits by almost £1bn through the use of aggressive tax-avoidance schemes and exotic "Lehman- style" offshore deals which he said amounted to false accounting....