The euro rebounded from two days of sharp losses yesterday, even as an anti-bailout party was victorious in Greek elections, while global stock indexes edged up on confidence in the European Central Banks's new money-printing program.

The electoral results spurred concern over new instability in the eurozone, even as the possibility of Greece leaving the bloc was considered remote.

The MSCI's global share index was up 0.2 per cent, while the S&P 500 was nearly flat. The main Athens index fell and Greek bond yields rose.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 32.53 points, or 0.18 per cent, to 17,640.07, the S&P 500 gained 0.16 points, or 0.01 per cent, to 2,051.98 and the Nasdaq Composite added 3.73 points, or 0.08 per cent, to 4,761.61.

Overseas, the Greek vote failed to derail an ECB-driven share rally. An index of European shares ended up 0.6 per cent.

Following the outcome of Sunday's vote, the euro hit its lowest against the U.S. dollar since September 2003 at $1.1098 in Asian trading, according to the EBS trading platform . In late-morning New York trading, the euro was up 0.64 per cent to trade at $1.1278, just off its high for the day of $1.1291.

“Everything that was priced in for euro negative has happened. We are already at a stronger level for the dollar. I don't see anything pushing the euro below $1.10 if the ECB and the Greek election couldn't do it,” said John Doyle, director of markets at Washington, DC-based Tempus Inc. Syriza’s demands for a debt restructuring have raised the prospect of a stand-off between Athens and other European leaders that might lead to a “Grexit,” although financial markets were treating that as a marginal risk yesterday.

Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras promised Greeks on Sunday that the five years of austerity imposed under bailout programmes worth €240 billion from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund were over. Greek markets were lower after the vote.

Ten-year yields rose 41 basis points to 9.18 per cent, while the main stock index fell 3.2 per cent.

Unlike at the height of the eurozone’s debt crisis in 2011-12, European banks have limited exposure to Greece, while policymakers have put in place safety nets to deal with contagion.

In the US Treasuries market, long-dated US Treasury debt turned lower after investors spooked by Greece’s newly elected government drove up prices and briefly knocked yields on the US 30-year bond to new record lows.

Thirty-year bonds were last off 4/32 in price to yield 2.3993 per cent after touching a fresh record low in overseas trading of 2.336 per cent.

Crude oil prices were flat to slightly higher. March Brent crude was flat, while US crude was up 23 cents at $45.82.