The European Central Bank is exploring ways to directly help small and medium-sized companies as a way to boost the recession-hit eurozone economy directly, said Benoit Coeure, A member of the bank's executive board. Coeure, speaking at a conference south of Paris, did not say how exactly the policy would work and stressed that the ECB would not intervene to replace "other actors" including struggling banks burdened by non-profitable assets. Coeure said the ECB "can only act within its mandate" and would allow the transfer of private sector risk onto its balance sheet.

WASHINGTON - Lower-priced gas allowed Americans to step up their spending at retailers in April, from cars and clothes to electronics and appliances. The rebound from a weak March suggests consumers remain resilient in the face of higher taxes and could continue to drive economic growth this spring. Retail sales edged up 0.1 per cent in April from March, the Commerce Department said Monday. That's an improvement from a 0.5 per cent decline in March, which was the largest drop in nine months.

AMSTERDAM - Dutch financial company ING Groep NV reported Wednesday that its first-quarter earnings rose as it sold businesses and improved profit margins at its banking arm. Its insurance arm reported a loss. Net profit was 1.80 billion euros ($2.36 billion), compared with 728 million euros in the same period a year ago. This quarter's figure includes 940 million euros in net gains on divestments, mostly from the sale of its life insurance business in Asia.

The dollar fell against the euro Friday despite a strong US April jobs report that otherwise sent stock markets and oil prices soaring. Analysts said that an increased interest in risk assets in Europe were to blame in part for the sharp reversal of the greenback's gains that followed the release of the employment sector data.