PORTUGAL

Stocks fell on Monday as jitters about euro zone debt bailouts, including more financial reforms by Greece, and doubts about the pace of global growth encouraged investors to shed riskier assets.

Stock index futures fell on Monday as investors shed riskier assets before euro zone finance ministers meet to discuss the region's debt crisis.

Stock index futures fell on Monday as investors shed riskier assets before euro zone finance ministers meet to discuss the region's debt crisis.

Restructuring Greece's sovereign debt would pose potentially incalculable risks to the overall euro zone and will not solve the country's fiscal crisis, a senior European Central Bank official said on Friday.

Powerful performances by the German and French economies propelled growth in the euro zone well above forecasts in the first quarter while also highlighting the yawning gap between the bloc's strong and weak.

The Dollar price of Gold on wholesale markets continued to rally Friday morning, rising as high as $1516 per ounce - less than 4% off this month's all-time high - before slipping back, while stock and commodity markets recovered some of Thursday's losses.

Oil rose more than $1 on Friday, taking benchmark U.S. crude futures back above $100 per barrel, after much higher-than-expected growth in Germany and France and a rebound in the euro against the dollar.

The Portuguese economy contracted for the second straight quarter, placing the debt-strapped country into another recession as the Lisbon government anxiously seeks to reduce spending and increase taxes.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron reopened the case of Madeleine McCann on her eighth birthday on Thursday. Madeleine went missing during a family holiday to Portugal on May 3 2007, shortly before her fourth birthday.

Storming performances by the German and French economies in the first quarter highlight the yawning gap between the euro zone's strong and weak and suggest the forecast for growth in the bloc is well under par.

As the Greek debt crisis continues to worsen, the euro looks poised to slip further.

Despite bailouts for Greece, Ireland and Portugal, Europe's debt crisis could still spread to core euro zone countries and the emerging economies of eastern Europe, the International Monetary Fund warned on Thursday.

The International Monetary Fund urged broad-based action to combat the euro zone debt crisis, saying it was ready to give Greece more aid and asking the European Central Bank to tread carefully in hiking interest rates.

Greek police clashed with stone-hurling youths and thousands protested against austerity in Athens on Wednesday as EU and IMF envoys began talks with the government on stepping up fiscal reforms.

Greek labor unions, students and others are planning massive a nationwide rally and general strike for tomorrow to protest the government’s austerity budget and deep spending cuts, as well as the imposition of European Union (EU) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) onto the country’s affairs.

Euro zone finance ministers are likely to back a bailout for Portugal on Monday and tell Greece it must deliver on agreed fiscal and privatization targets if it wants new emergency financing next year.

Greece denied a report on Tuesday it was discussing a new 60 billion euros bailout with international lenders and its borrowing costs rose amid fears it may have to restructure its debt without further EU help.

Euro zone finance ministers are likely to back a bailout for Portugal on Monday and tell Greece it must deliver on agreed fiscal and privatization targets if it wants new emergency financing next year.

Greece said it was discussing with its euro zone partners ways to plug a 27 billion euro ($39 billion) funding hole next year as a fresh credit rating cut on Monday made its return to markets even more difficult.

The British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has warned that Greece may need additional bailout funding, but that the U.K. is unlikely to contribute to any such payouts.

Concern about plans for a fundamental review of the bailouts given to Europe's high debtors dominated debt markets on Monday although the euro itself rose, rebounding from recent sharp losses.