The new loan offers will be conducted in October, November and December.
Gold prices fell Wednesday as stock markets in Europe posted gains from European Commission plans to push euro zone bonds and China's premier expressed support for struggling European countries.
European index futures rose and the euro edged off a seven-month low on Tuesday after a report that Italy may get financial support from China sparked a bout of short-covering but did nothing to ease fears that Europe is sliding into another banking crisis.
European shares fell again Tuesday morning, hitting a fresh two-year low for the second straight session as investors worried policymakers had no plan to stem the euro zone debt crisis, which could see Greece default.
Gold closed lower Monday after investors sold their holdings in the yellow metal to generate cash, while others took profit and a third group bought the surging U.S. dollar as a safe haven.
Prices for platinum and palladium, which are key metals used in making automobile catalytic converters, fell 1 percent Monday in U.S. futures trading as a strong dollar and profit-taking dragged down all precious metals.
European index futures tumbled on Monday, following a slide in Asian equities, and the euro slumped to a 10-year low against the yen after the resignation of a top European Central Bank official cast further doubt on the region's ability to tackle its worsening sovereign debt crisis.
In a flight to safety, the 10-Year Treasury yield has fallen below 2.00 percent, while gold futures are slightly higher.
Asian shares fell and U.S. Treasury yields dropped to the lowest levels in at least 60 years on Tuesday on fears that Europe's sovereign debt troubles are worsening and could trigger a second full-blown banking crisis.
European stocks got hammered on Monday and the euro tumbled as well, as investors moved into safe assets. Rising fears over Europe's sovereign debt crisis and economic growth concerns in Europe and the U.S. is driving the move away from equities. The yield on the benchmark 10-year German government bond fell to well below two percent -- a new record. The Stoxx Europe 600 index fell 4.1 percent Monday, closing at 223.45.
The German DAX dropped 4 percent in about 15 minutes in Friday afternoon trading, on a rumor that the German Government's credit rating will be downgraded.
Hedge funds run by sophisticated computer programs are profiting from large falls in stock markets and a rocketing gold price this month, even as funds managed by human beings struggle to cope with high market volatility.
Beverage firms led Europe's top shares lower Wednesday, as mixed corporate results and cooling hopes over the prospect of further economic stimulus in the U.S. saw the recent rebound lose steam.
WPP, the world's largest advertising group, expects to feel the impact of the economic slowdown in 2012, it warned on Wednesday, as it reported strong first half results bolstered by emerging markets and digital.
WPP Plc, the world's largest advertising group, said it would plan for 2012 on a conservative basis, although strength in emerging markets has so far helped it to post 7-month growth broadly in line with its annual forecast.
Miners helped Britain's bruised FTSE 100 stage a recovery on Monday, with Randgold Resources boosted by bullish gold prices and broker comment, and Anglo American up as it considered a bid for Australia's Macarthur Coal.
Autonomy's founder and chief executive Mike Lynch, who owns an 8.2 percent stake in the company, could walk away with £582-million ($960-million).
Gold prices rallied more than 2 percent to a record highs on Friday as investors sought refuge from a second day of hefty losses on the stock markets, hurt by deepening concerns over slowing economic growth and the outlook for euro zone banks.
Gold prices rallied more than 2 percent to a record highs on Friday as investors sought refuge from a second day of hefty losses on the stock markets, hurt by deepening concerns over slowing economic growth and the outlook for euro zone banks.
HPQ shares are down about 6.1 percent as of 3:15 p.m. (New York time).
HPQ’s chief executive Leo Apotheker has already said he wants to grow the company’s presence in so-called “cloud computing” while shedding lower-margin businesses like PCs.
