The euro rose to a three-month high against the yen and metals gained after European finance ministers reached an agreement on a Greek aid package. Asian stocks slid, led by consumer companies. The euro climbed 0.3 percent to 105.78 yen as of 2:20 p.m. in Tokyo, reversing an earlier drop. Copper added 1 percent and oil traded near a nine-month high. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index (MXAP) declined 0.5 percent, while Standard & Poor’s 500 Index futures advanced 0.4 percent. Ten-year Treasury yields rose three basis points to 2.03 percent. Australia’s dollar fell against major peers after the central bank said it has scope to ease policy. Greece’s deal includes a 53.5 percent writedown for investors in the nation’s debt, according to Luxembourg’s Jean- Claude Juncker, who chaired the talks. Finance ministers haggled into the night in Brussels over the terms of new loans and a possible contribution by central banks. The global economy faces an “uphill struggle� as it seeks to recover from a financial crisis, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping said yesterday. “You can’t really go out and say that we’ve solved the whole euro-zone debt crisis and this won’t come back to bother us again,� Manpreet Gill, a senior investment strategist at Standard Chartered Plc, said in a Bloomberg Television interview from Singapore. “These issues will still simmer over time.� U.S. Futures S&P 500 futures expiring in March climbed to 1,365. U.S. markets will reopen today after a public holiday yesterday. The U.S. government is set to sell debt totaling $99 billion this week, starting with a $35 billion auction of two-year securities today. Data later today may show a measure of euro-area consumer confidence improved to minus 20.1 this month from minus 20.7 in January, according to the median forecast of economists in a Bloomberg survey. Asian stocks have climbed for the past nine weeks, pushing the MSCI Asia-Pacific gauge to a 12 percent rally this year. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index added 0.8 percent, while the Hang Seng Index slid 0.5 percent and the Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.1 percent. Mazda Motor Corp. (7261), the most unprofitable among Japan’s eight biggest carmakers, slumped 12 percent. The company is preparing a share sale to raise capital by as much 100 billion yen ($1.25 billion), NHK Television reported, without citing anyone. Mazda said in a filing that no decision has been made. Airlines Drop Korean Air Lines Co. (003490), the nation’s biggest carrier, tumbled 6.7 percent after Deutsche Bank AG told clients to sell the shares, citing a weak cargo market and high fuel prices. Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. and Air China Ltd. lost at least 1.2 percent in Hong Kong. Oil futures for March delivery, which expire today, advanced as much as $2.20 to $105.44 in intra-day trading, the highest since May 5. Iran’s decision to halt sales of crude oil to French and British buyers to preempt a European Union ban on imports will have “no impact on Britain’s energy security or supplies,� said U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague. The EU has agreed to stop purchases of Iranian crude from July 1 in an attempt to curb the Persian Gulf country’s nuclear program. The Australian dollar fell 0.3 percent to $1.0728. Minutes of the central bank’s Feb. 7 meeting suggested board members are prepared to ease policy if demand were to “weaken materially.� The Markit iTraxx Australia index, a gauge of the nation’s corporate bond risk, fell 2.25 basis points to 141.75, according to Deutsche Bank AG. To contact the reporters on this story: Lynn Thomasson in Hong Kong at lthomasson@bloomberg.net; John Dawson in Hong Kong at jrdawson@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Regan in Hong Kong at jregan19@bloomberg.net.

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