Stock market crashes

The government plans an early repayment of up to €5 billion of bailout loans to eurozone countries this year, two government officials told Reuters on Tuesday.

The eurozone and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) lent Greece about €280 billion during the crisis on the condition that it impose tough austerity measures.

Unemployment, which reached historic highs of 27.2% in 2013, has now fallen to 10%, while the non-performing loan rate in Greek banks has dropped to 7%

Bulgarian banks have injected approximately 3.7 billion in additional credit resources into the housing market over the past year alone, with a staggering total of over 8 billion in the last three years, according to Lachezar Bogdanov, chief economist at the Institute for Market Economy, speaking on Nova TV.

Greece's next market foray with a new bond is possible as early as next month, according to estimates.

Asian shares mostly gained on Wednesday after global markets fell as traders locked in profits following recent tech-driven rallies.

Gold prices and bitcoin hit all-time highs Tuesday before reversing gains, while the sell-off in some technology stocks hit many markets around the world.

Greece attracted record demand on Tuesday for its first new bond since regaining investment grade.

It raised 4 billion euros from the 10-year bond with investor orders exceeding 35 billion euros.

Greece plans to raise up to €10 billion from debt markets via short- and long-term bond issues next year, its debt agency PDMA said on Friday.

Outlining its 2024 strategy, PDMA said Greece plans to repay ahead of schedule more bailout loans and reduce the amount of T-bills in circulation.

Greece will next month repay ahead of schedule 5.3 billion euros ($5.8 billion) of loans owed to eurozone countries under its first bailout, and hopes to repeat the move in 2024, Finance Ministry officials told Reuters on Tuesday.

Japan suffered a trade deficit last month as exports sank for the first time in more than two years, dragged down by a slowdown overseas.

Japan's trade deficit totaled 78.7 billion yen ($539 million), the Finance Ministry said yesterday, the first trade deficit for the world's third largest economy in two months.

Russia's central bank yesterday raised its key interest rate by 3.5 percent, a move designed to fight inflation and strengthen the ruble after the country's currency reached its lowest value since early in the war with Ukraine.

The decision was announced after an emergency meeting of the bank's board of directors was called a day earlier as the ruble declined.