Greece returns to bond market after three-year hiatus

Greece sold debt to private investors for the first time in three years on Tuesday, a significant step towards gaining financial independence and exiting its third international bailout next year.

The deal comes a month after eurozone finance ministers signed off on a new loan and sketched out measures to chip away at Greece's debt mountain after the current bailout finishes in August 2018.

Athens says Tuesday's sale of a new five-year bond is a test run to ensure Greece can rely on market funding next year. A tender of old bonds run alongside the sale will help lower its repayments in the years following its bailout exit.

The deal did not initially attract as much demand as the country's brief foray into markets in 2014, but it looked set to be successful and price at what investors said was a very competitive level with a yield below 5 percent.