International stocks trading in New York closed higher on
Friday. The BNY Mellon index of American depositary receipts
improved 0.82% to 147.19. The European index rose 1.03% to 145.03;
the Asian index gained 0.48% to 153.23;the Latin American index
edged up 0.14% to 226.72; and the emerging markets index improved
0.44% to 270.43. Among the companies with shares that actively
traded was National Bank of Greece SA (NBG, ETE.AT).
Eurozone member countries approved a four-month extension on
Greece's bailout on Friday, provided Athens submits by Monday
details on the economic changes and budgetary measures it plans to
take, Austria's finance minister Hans Jörg Schelling said. The
four-month extension, short of the six months Greece had requested
Thursday, strengthens the hand of the country's creditors in
negotiations for a follow-up deal. National Bank of Greece jumped
nearly 22% to $1.96, while Alpha Bank AE (ALBKY, ALPHA.AT) and
Eurobank Ergasias SA (EGFEY, EUROB.AT), which trade over the
counter, rose 16% and 13%, respectively.
Federal prosecutors in Brazil said Friday they are seeking
roughly $1.5 billion in compensation from six companies accused of
paying bribes to state-run oil firm Petróleo Brasileiro SA (PBR,
PETR3.BR, PETR4.BR), and are looking to ban those companies from
government contracts, the latest step in a corruption scandal that
has rattled Brazil's biggest construction firms. Shares closed up
0.30% to $6.66.
Telecom Italia SpA's (TI, TIA, TIT.MI) Chief Executive Marco
Patuano said on Friday the company decided against a deal to
integrate its Brazilian unit TIM Participações SA (TSU, TIMP3.BR)
with Brazilian competitor Oi SA (OIBR, OIBR4.BR, OIBRC) when it
became evident it would be too complex and not add enough value.
Oi's shares fell 7% to $2.29, while TIM Brasil's shares fell 4% to
$21.60.
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