IN BRIEF (Page 10)

Stocks rally across globe

Stocks rallied worldwide and Greek bonds rose for the first time in two weeks on speculation Europe's most indebted nation will get an international bailout to avert a default. The euro strengthened and the yen weakened. The MSCI World Index of 23 developed nations' stocks rose 0.5 percent at 12:07 pm in London. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index increased 0.7 percent to a 20-month high. Futures on the Standard & Poor's 500 Index gained 0.3 percent.

The premium investors demand to hold Greek two-year notes instead of benchmark German debt narrowed by 19 basis points. The euro strengthened against 11 of its 16 most-traded counterparts while the yen declined versus all of them. European Union officials are "ready to act" on financial assistance for Greece, European Commission spokeswoman Amelia Torres said in Brussels.