Greece prepared additional austerity measures and its prime minister met with the head of Germany's top bank, as the country raced to soothe international concerns ahead of a crucial bond sale it may hold next week.

Greece prepared additional austerity measures and its prime minister met with the head of Germany's top bank, as the country raced to soothe international concerns ahead of a crucial bond sale it may hold next week.

European stock markets rose as fears about Greece's fiscal health cooled ahead of the weekend.

Indian shares cheered budget proposals to cut the government's red ink and ease the tax burden on individuals, while Japanese stocks gained on better-than-expected industrial output.

Stocks fell across Europe amid rising concerns about Greece's fiscal woes and the British pound slid sharply as pessimism about the U.K.'s economic outlook mounted.

Asian markets ended mostly lower, with stocks weighed down by concerns that Greek debt may be downgraded; a rising yen added to the pressure on exporters in Tokyo.

Asian stock markets were mostly higher Thursday, lifted by Bernanke's reassurance that U.S. interest rates will stay low for some time.The Nikkei was up 0.2%.

European stocks ended a choppy session in the black, as investors took heart from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's reassurance that interest rates will remain low for an extended period.

European stock markets opened largely unchanged, with investors wary of taking positions ahead of the latest guidance from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke.

Asian markets ended mixed, with financial stocks weighing China, while Hong Kong advanced as investors snapped up property developers.

European stock markets traded higher ahead of further developments on the Greek debt situation and the U.S. Federal Reserve's monetary outlook.

Greece faces a crucial week ahead, with a delegation of EU and IMF officials arriving in Athens to discuss further austerity measures to fix the country's bloated budget deficit.