INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND

Most of the European markets fell Friday as investors were worried that the economic condition of the euro zone continued to weaken.

The Egyptian government Wednesday sought a $4.8-billion loan from the International Monetary Fund to help boost the country's economy struggling to recover from a political turmoil since last year's uprising that led to the fall of President Hosni Mubarak.

European markets rose Thursday as investors were hopeful ahead of the meetings between the Greek and other euro zone leaders this week to discuss measures to tackle the economic and financial instability affecting Greece.

China's manufacturing activity fell in August compared to that in July, according to the preliminary HSBC Flash Purchasing Managers Index released Thursday.

Both Juncker and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who Samaras will meet on Friday, are under enormous political pressure to act tough with Greece and are expected to offer little room for renegotiation.

Argentina, South America's third-largest economy, is "probably" in the midst of a recession and won't register meaningful growth this year amid high inflation and weak industrial output, according to a new report.

U.S. stock index futures point to a slightly higher open Monday as investors maintained a watchful mode waiting for decisions from meetings between Greek and European leaders this week to discuss reform measures needed to tackle the economic crisis in Greece.

European markets were mixed Monday as investors remained watchful ahead of the meetings between the Greek and other European leaders this week to discuss measures to tackle the economic and financial instability plaguing Greece.

Investors rewarded Portugal's efforts to trim its budget gap by sending the credit-default swaps on Portugal to a low of 725 basis points on Thursday, down from 1,515 in January and 1,237 in May, according to Bloomberg. The implied probability of Portugal defaulting on its debt fell to 46 percent from 73 percent.

China reported a trade surplus of $25.1 billion in July amid slower-than-expected growth in exports and imports, raising the concern that the world's second largest economy isn't doing enough to stimulate the economy and avert a slowdown.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda survived a no-confidence vote on Thursday, spurred by his proposal to double the consumption tax to 10 percent, in the latest example of a political gridlock that is risking a credit downgrade.

China’s industrial production grew at a reduced pace in July compared to June indicating that the weakening global demand and the debt burden faced by the euro zone are adversely affecting the country's economy.

European markets fell Wednesday as investors remained concerned that there were no monetary easing measures from policymakers to boost the economy even after the increasing debt burden faced by the euro zone.

Asian markets rose Monday after the encouraging news from the U.S. that the economy was regaining momentum to a certain extent and that Greece was showing improvement in complying with bailout requirements.

With China’s economy continuing to slowdown in 2012 market participants feel it is imperative that stimulus measures be implemented to regain the growth momentum.

China's services activity growth recovered in July to the fastest pace in nine months after the slowdown in June, according to the HSBC Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) released Friday.

China's manufacturing activity grew at a slower pace in July compared to that in the previous month, increasing concerns over a slowdown in the economic growth of the country.

ICICI Bank(ICBK.NS), India's top private lender, posted on Friday a 36.3 percent jump in quarterly profit, its strongest growth in more than a year, helped by robust loan growth, high fee income and better asset quality.

Japan’s retail sales growth slowed down in June as compared to May, indicating that private consumption being affected by the faltering global economic conditions.

Sudan must press ahead with reforms to ensure its economic stability, an International Monetary Fund mission said on Wednesday, while welcoming the country's recent moves including scaling back its fuel subsidies and devaluing its currency.

The U.S. stock index futures pointed to a lower opening Wednesday as investor confidence continued to be dragged down with no resolution to the euro zone crisis visible on the horizon.