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ZURICH (Reuters) - Alex Widmer, the chief executive of Bank Julius Baer and a well respected figure in Swiss private banking, has died unexpectedly at the age of 52, the bank said on Friday.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil steadied around $44 on Friday, not far off its lowest level in almost four years, as financial markets awaited U.S. jobs data for clues to the state of demand in the world's biggest oil consumer.

(Reuters) - Morgan Stanley widened its fourth-quarter loss estimate on Goldman Sachs Group Inc , citing a fall in equity, credit and real-estate asset values in November, and rising negative marks on the firm's illiquid asset and principal investment portfolios.

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HELSINKI (Reuters) - Russia must stop blocking international monitors from going into Georgia's separatist South Ossetia region to assess reports of human rights abuses, a senior U.S. diplomat said on Friday.