VENTURE CAPITAL POST

For a world economy coming to terms with a soaring dollar and a plunge in oil prices, this week will be all about the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy meeting and its intentions on interest rates.

The Swiss National Bank, battling a rise in the country's currency, could push interest rates further into negative territory if the franc moves in the "wrong direction", a Swiss newspaper reported on Sunday, citing sources close to the bank.

China's cooling growth prospects and an interest rate decision in Russia will shift the economic agenda away from the euro zone next week, although Greece remains firmly in the spotlight because of its precarious funding outlook.

Euro zone producer prices fell by more than expected in January, pulled down by plunging costs of energy, data from the European Union's statistics office Eurostat showed on Tuesday.

European shares rose close to seven-year highs on Tuesday as better than expected German retail sales further buoyed investors days before the European Central Bank kicks off a trillion-euro bond buying program.

Greece's leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras accused Spain and Portugal on Saturday of leading a conservative conspiracy to topple his anti-austerity government, saying they feared their own radical forces before elections this year.

Greece's left-wing government insisted on Saturday it had avoided being "strangled" by the euro zone, which agreed in principle to extend a financial rescue deal as nervous savers pulled huge sums from Greek banks.

Stocks fell and lower-rated euro zone bond yields rose on Tuesday after talks between Athens and its European partners over the country's debt crisis collapsed, raising doubts about Greece's future in the currency bloc.

The euro skidded on Tuesday after a collapse in talks to secure a new debt deal for Greece kept markets guessing about the next chapter in the nerve-wracking saga as Athens tries to secure improved terms with its creditors.

Italy's economy stagnated at the end of last year, marking the 14th consecutive quarter without any growth as an increase in exports was offset by weak domestic demand, data showed on Friday.

Euro zone economic growth accelerated unexpectedly in the final quarter of 2014 as the bloc's largest member, Germany, expanded at more than twice the expected rate.

Greece's new leftist government and its international creditors failed to agree on a way forward on the country's unpopular bailout and will try again on Monday, with time running out for a financing deal.

Greece's new leftist-led government, isolated in the euro zone and under pressure from the European Central Bank, said on Friday it wanted no more bailout money with strings attached from the European Union and International Monetary Fund.

Greek borrowing costs leapt and bank shares were hit hard on Thursday after the European Central Bank abruptly pulled the plug on its funding for the country's financial sector in what Athens labelled an act of coercion.

Germany wants Greece's new left-wing government to go back on anti-austerity promises made in its first days in office and revert to economic policies its predecessors' agreed with international lenders, a document showed on Wednesday.