Money market funds have long been a popular haven for conservative investors, but they could become one way that the tremors of the financial crisis in Greece touch the pocketbooks of Americans — about 50 million of them.
For years, the funds in the United States have taken investors’ money and lent it out where they can get the best returns. European banks have been a target lately — so much so that about 50 percent of the funds’ $1.6 trillion in prime money market assets is in the debt of European banks.



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Protesters in Athens ran from riot police on Tuesday. A vote on a set of austerity measures is expected on Wednesday.