THE EVENT: Heads of state and government from the Group of 20 leading advanced and developing nations are meeting Monday and Tuesday in Los Cabos, Mexico. Dow Jones Newswires coverage of the event can be found by searching the codes N/G20 and R/MX.
THE SITUATIONS: Global leaders trying to push the euro zone toward more aggressive action will commit to doing everything necessary to calm roiled global markets, according to a senior government official who has seen a draft G-20 communique.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel dashed hopes that, following Greek conservatives' victory in Sunday's election, Berlin would agree to give Athens more time to meet its commitments under an international aid agreement which has kept the Greek state afloat.
President Barack Obama said Greece's election results bode well for the country and that key world leaders would this week take "an important" step to stabilizing volatile global markets roiled by Europe's debt crisis. Mr. Obama and Ms. Merkel are set to hold a bilateral meeting during the summit.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said some pooling of debt for the 17 countries in the euro may make sense, but what form this should take is still very much up for debate. Separately, he said some parts of Europe's response to the financial crisis can be put in place quickly after setting out priorities at a European Union summit later this month, adding that the commission is ready to put forward proposals "needed by autumn" on a banking union.
Leaders of the so-called BRICS countries--Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa--said they would boost International Monetary Fund lending resources and study currency swaps and pooling reserves.
The G-20 members plan to air other concerns during the summit, including the risks to oil markets from an embargo on Iran set to take effect in the coming weeks.
IN THE BACKGROUND: G-20 nations, which represent two-thirds of the world's population and about 85% of global output, continue to face risks from Europe's sovereign-debt crisis that threaten to cripple the global economy.
Greece, where voters narrowly elected the pro-bailout New Democrats party into power Sunday and coalition talks began Monday, is essentially the epicenter of the euro zone's debt calamities. Economists say the country may ultimately be heading toward default and the elections might only be buying time for Europe to build a buffer against the financial fallout.
Spanish bond yields surged to the highest closing level on record Monday, with investors focusing on banking and deficit problems on the Iberian peninsula as data showed bad debts held by Spanish banks rose to an 18-year high in April. Earlier this month, Spain requested a banking bailout of up to 100 billion euros ($125 billion) from the euro zone.
Euro-area bonds have been proposed in various formats by member states as diverse as Luxembourg and Italy over the years, but have always been thwarted by Germany's steadfast opposition.
Swap arrangements--allowing central banks to lend each other currencies in emergencies to help keep markets funded--and pooling foreign-exchange reserves are contingency measures for crises such as Europe's debt problems. They are also likely to be seen as part of a broader move by emerging markets to move away from reliance on the dollar and the euro, and on the IMF, which requires strict conditions for its loans.
In April, G-20 member nations agreed to boost the resources of the IMF by about $430 billion, which would nearly double the institution's lending capacity. The group, in a communique following its meeting of finance officials, said the fresh funds would be "available for the whole membership" of the institution. The U.S. and Canada, however, were among nations that resisted the IMF's move.
Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega said at the IMF spring meetings in April that the BRIC countries are conditioning their as-yet-unspecified contribution on quota reform. China's central bank said at the time that the country "won't be absent" from the IMF's fundraising, but didn't specify how much it will contribute.
IN THE MARKETS: The Dow Jones Industrial Average eased 33 points, or 0.3%, to 12734 less than an hour before the closing bell. The Standard & Poor's 500 rose less than one point to 1344. Technology and consumer discretionary shares gained while the energy sector lagged behind. The Nasdaq Composite rose 20 points, or 0.7%, to 2893.
The Stoxx Europe 600 index closed 0.1% higher at 244.36, with gains slowly fading from the open. Greek stocks surged, however, with the Athens General Index up 3.6% to 580.67.
The euro, which surrendered initial post-Greek-election gains against the U.S. currency in European trading, was recently at $1.2574 against the dollar, down nearly 1%, while the dollar was at 78.68 yen and the pound was trading at $1.5664.
WHAT THEY SAID: "We are committed to adopting all necessary policy measures to strengthen demand, support global growth and restore confidence," the senior government official, from one of the G-20 economies, read from an early draft document.
He also said the draft communique says, "We look forward to the euro area working in partnership with the next Greek government to ensure they remain on the path of reform and sustainability in the euro area."
"I clearly will not speak about a new aid package," Ms. Merkel said. "It is more important that the new (Greek) government stick to the commitments that Greece has made to the international community and its partners in the European Union."
"Today the debate is how far, and how quickly we are going to complete the monetary union with fiscal union, and in some cases a true political union," Mr. Barroso said. For a banking union, "we the commission are ready to put forward proposals needed by autumn, and we can do it without revision of treaty."
"Under strict conditions, some form of debt mutualization will be considered, but let me be very clear, any future euro bonds or stability bonds would not be a license to spend," Mr. Barroso also said. "On the contrary, they would become a powerful tool for increased discipline."
"The election in Greece yesterday indicates a positive prospect for not only them forming a government, but also them working constructively with their international partners in order that they can continue on the path of reform," Mr. Obama said, according to a pool report.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said fiscal sustainability and adopting pro-growth policies--a key theme of the meeting here--aren't mutually exclusive. "I do not believe the two are at odds with each other," he said. "What's most important is restructuring to regain the growth engine."