FRANKFURT (MNI) - The European Central Bank said Monday that a total of E59.872 billion Eurosystem covered bond purchases had settled as of June 27.

As of June 24, settled acquisitions had totaled E59.549 billion, the ECB said Friday. The ECB plans to buy a total of around E60 billion covered bonds by the end of June 2010 at the latest.

The program is aimed at revitalizing a market segment that has been exceptionally hard hit by the financial turmoil.

TORONTO (MNI) - President Barack Obama Sunday declared the route to world prosperity is no longer through exports to the United States.

Winding up the G20 meeting, in which there was a consensus reached around the concept of debt and deficit reduction according to each country's needs and capabilities, Obama used the forum to underline his call for increased consumption by surplus states, increased savings by deficit states -- including the United States.

By Heather Scott

TORONTO (MNI) - The Group of 20 leaders could legitimately leave their latest summit claiming victory as divisions that appeared to beset them ahead of the meeting seemed to dissolve, while on paper at least they reached agreement on goals thought potentially too difficult to achieve.

By Heather Scott

TORONTO (MNI) - U.S. President Barack Obama and Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper each expressed confidence Sunday night that China will follow through on its pledge to allow the currency to move more flexibly.

Obama told reporters following the Group of 20 summit that the U.S. will be watching over the next "several months" and expects to see China's renminbi appreciate, but determining whether the movement is sufficient will be left to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

TORONTO (MNI) - The following is a statement issued by the International Monetary Fund Sunday:

PARIS (MNI) - France should be able to bring its public finances into balance by 2020 at the latest, Budget Minister Francois Baroin said Sunday.

If economic growth does not rebound to 2.5% next year as the government hopes, further consolidation measures will be adopted to assure that the public deficit is cut from 8% of GDP to 6%, the minister said in a radio interview, hinting that a freeze on public sector salaries might be in the cards.

"Everyone must make an effort," Baroin insisted.

TORONTO (MNI) - The following is the fourth and final section of the text of the G20 declaration at the conclusion of the two-day meeting Sunday:

TORONTO (MNI) - The following is the third of four sections of the text of the G20 declaration at the conclusion of the two-day meeting Sunday: