Greece

The government is relying on opposition party support for approval in parliament of new austerity measures demanded by bailout lenders, following a revolt by nearly one fourth of its own lawmakers.

Government spokeswoman Olga Gerovasili said the government would not form a national unity government and described early elections as "likely."

"A solution will be found, since the country needs a strong government," Gerovasili told private Skai television. "(Early) elections are likely but that doesn't mean we will be dealing today with when they will take place."

Bank shares suffered most, hitting or nearing the daily trading limit of a 30 percent loss.

"There's a sense of panic," said Evangelos Sioutis, financial analyst and head of equities at Guardian Trust. He noted some traders are selling stock merely to raise cash because there is so little liquidity in the Greek economy.

"There are no buyers," he said. "The outlook is not clear."

The exchange has been closed since June 29, when the government imposed capital controls to prevent a banking collapse.

Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos signed the order Friday that also includes restrictions for Greece-based traders for an unspecified time period. A 60 euro limit on cash machines withdrawal will remain in place.

But the government faced rebuke following revelations that former finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, formed a secret committee to plan for the possible conversion of euros into drachmas "at a drop of a hat."

Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said late Monday that meetings in Athens had begun between Greek officials and negotiating teams representing creditors, with talks to intensify Tuesday, paving the way for higher level discussions possibly by the end of the week.

You might think it's been a rough year for investors, but it's mostly been a smooth ride — and a profitable one.

Money is flowing into bonds issued by the riskiest of companies, home prices in some big U.S. cities are soaring, shares of technology companies are still near all-time highs, even after a drop this week, and auction houses are enjoying record sales of art. 

Officials in Athens and at the European Union said negotiators are expected to start arriving Friday, marking the first time high-level talks will be held in the Greek capital since Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' left-wing government assumed power in late January.

The news came hours after parliament approved a second round of reforms Greece's European creditors had demanded before the negotiations could start. Tsipras narrowly survived an anti-austerity revolt within his own party.

Greece's rating now stands at "CCC+" in an upgrade announced Tuesday. That classification means Greece is still on shaky financial ground, but less likely to face an immediate credit crisis.

S&P had previously rated Greece as "CCC-," a category signaling that loan payments are likely to be missed within six months.

Netflix, eBay and Citigroup all rose Thursday after delivering results that beat analysts' forecasts.

European markets also rose after Greece's creditors agreed to loan the country more money and provide more support for its banks.

The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 70 points, or 0.4 percent, to 18,120.

Greece's fellow states in the 19-country eurozone said they were willing to open talks on a new rescue package worth 85 billion euros ($93 billion) over three years after Athens approved a series of tax hikes and economic reforms overnight.

The austerity bill triggered a revolt in the governing party and demonstrations in central Athens, one of which briefly turned violent, but was required by creditors as a precondition for starting bailout talks.