A proposal to prohibit the Swiss National Bank from selling any of its gold reserves has the support of 44 percent of the public, a closely watched survey showed on Friday, though that result falls short of the backing it needs to pass into law.

European shares edged up and the euro hit a one-week low against the dollar on Wednesday, driven by upbeat company earnings results and hopes of corporate bond buying by the European Central Bank.

World stocks hit a nine-month low on Friday but oil and southern European bonds were off their week's worst levels, as investors began to dust themselves off after one of the most volatile spells in world markets in years.

Brent crude prices marked their biggest decline in more than three years on Tuesday and U.S. and German debt attracted buyers on lingering anxiety over world economic growth.

The yen scaled a one-month high against the dollar on Monday, as heightened worries about the health of the global economy continued to shore up the safe-haven Japanese currency.

A much-needed pruning of banks across the world could stifle lending and dampen economic recovery, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday.

GT Advanced Technology Inc shares were attracting the most volume on the Nasdaq on Tuesday morning a day after the sapphire glass maker filed for bankruptcy.

Asian shares tentatively rose in early trade on Tuesday, while the dollar steadied after investors locked in some gains overnight on its recent rally.

Japanese stocks bounced on Monday and the U.S. dollar held near four-year highs against a basket of currencies, as upbeat U.S. jobs data boosted sentiment after a week of worries about global growth and geopolitical tensions frayed investor nerves.

World policymakers gather in Washington later this week to ponder how to sustain economic recovery at a time when the United States is about to turn off its money taps.