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Upbeat signs

The Euro sign is photographed in front of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, Germany. Less than three months ago, as its leaders scrambled to assemble a nearly US$1 trillion rescue package for the eurozone, fears were rife that the continent was headed for a debt debacle and a painful economic crash.
BC EU Europe Looking Up
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The Euro sign is photographed in front of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, Germany. Less than three months ago, as its leaders scrambled to assemble a nearly US$1 trillion rescue package for the eurozone, fears were rife that the continent was headed for a debt debacle and a painful economic crash. But upbeat economic signs — including robust German business confidence, predictions of strong second-quarter growth and successful bond auctions by Greece, Portugal and Spain — have helped change the picture. The latest piece in the puzzle: last Friday’s release of “stress tests” designed to show how Europe’s banks would cope with a deepening economic and debt crisis, which only seven of the 91 institutes surveyed failed.