US authorities are seeking several billion dollars from BNP Paribas to settle a probe into whether it violated US sanctions on several countries, the Wall Street Journal reported late Wednesday.
In a recent survey of 34 economists, Bloomberg News found that most agreed with less-than-optimistic predictions about President Barack Obama's jobs plan, saying it would essentially halt the recession and push the unemployment rate down, but just slightly.
Global stocks rallied for a second day with a strong advance in Europe and Asia on Tuesday on signs that EU and world leaders are preparing a blockbuster response to the eurozone debt crisis.
European equities and the euro fell on Wednesday on fresh concerns over banks' exposure to indebted Greece, but losses were capped by expectations of more stimulus measures from the US Federal Reserve.
