Greece Leans Toward Long-Term Loan

If Greece should need financial aid from the European Union, Athens would prefer a long-term loan rather than bond guarantees, two people with familiar with the Greek government's thinking said Friday.

"A loan is a clear way of saying to the markets that the EU has confidence in the Greek government's measures to tackle the budget deficit," one of the people told Dow Jones Newswires. "But there is still no indication from Brussels on what may be decided."