EU companies listed on the STOXX 600 Index are set to report 3.6% year-over-year earnings growth in the Q4, sharply below the 4.8% forecast.
The French economy ended 2018 on a stronger footing than anticipated even after protests hit retailers, though growth fell short of the target for the full year.
The e-commerce major Alibaba Group's quarterly revenue rose at the weakest pace in three years, as the impact of the weakening Chinese economy and Sino-US trade war affected consumer spending.
The US mortgage applications to refinance or to purchase a home fell for the second week in succession, as borrowing costs grew in step with increased bond yields, the MBA stated.
The South Korean group Hyundai Heavy, the world's largest shipbuilder, stated it was considering of taking a stake of its competitor Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and had already launched talks over the potential deal.
On Wednesday, Virgin Train USA, the railway system operator, stated it would aim to sell 28.3M shares in its planned initial public offering, in which it sought to raise up to $538M in net proceeds.
On Wednesday, Petroleo Brasileiro, the Brazilian state-run oil firm, stated the talks with Chevron over acquiring its Pasadena refinery were nearly finalised, and the deal awaited to be discussed by the board.
The China-backed successor of the Swedish carmaker Saab has made an investment worth $171M into a joint venture with Sweden's Koenigsegg super car brand, as they plan to develop new electric vehicle models.
UniCredit's CEO Jean Pierre Mustier is exploring international M&A deals, choosing among Spain and England besides France, the company's main shareholder stated on Wednesday.
The US chipmaker giant Intel made a cash-and-stock bid worth up to $6.0B to acquire Israel's Mellanox Technologies, according to the local media report on Wednesday.
Banco Agibank, the Brazilian online lender, is exploring possible options, such as launching the US initial public offering, its CEO Marciano Testa stated.
Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser called on the EU antitrust regulators on Wednesday to approve its planned rail merger deal with France's Alstom.
The Brazilian government aims to sell no less than $20.0B in assets of some of the sate-held firms this year, including Banco do Brasil and Petrobras, Brazil's Privatisation Secretary stated.
Atos, the French IT services firm, is planning to pay its investors with a 23.4% stake in its payments arm Worldline SA, it stated on Wednesday.
Indonesia's gas and oil company Medco announced on Wednesday it would acquire Ophir Energy in a sweetened all-cash deal worth $511.02M, as it seeks to boost its assets portfolio in Southeast Asia.
The London Stock Exchange Group announced on Wednesday it was eager to acquire a 4.92% stake in the EU largest settlement securities house, Euroclear, in a deal worth €278.5M.
On Wednesday, LVMH reported its shares surged about 5%, boosted by the group's strong annual results, and triggering stocks of other luxury goods brands, such as Burbery, Hermes and Kering, to go up.
On Tuesday, PG&E filed for the Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as it had faced liabilities worth $30B after the deadly wildfires in California.
The video advertising companies Tactica and RhythmOne are in talks over the merger all share-deal, potentially worth $342M, which could be announced already this week, according to a Sky News report.
Apple reported a sharp growth in the tech giant's services business, while its CEO Tim Cook stated that the trade tensions between China and the United States were easing, allowing the company to recover its shares in hours.
On Wednesday, China's electric vehicle maker NIO has launched a $650M convertible bond, a few months after its initial public offering in New York.
Apple is eager to trim the price of some of the tech giant's flagship iPhones overseas, seeking to offset the rising US dollar.
ScS Group, the British carpet and sofa retailer, stated on Tuesday it entered talks to potentially acquire Sofa.com, which had been out up for a sale the last month.
Nissan Motor's CEO Hiroto Saikawa is set to hold first official discussion with Renault's new Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard scheduled for this Thursday in the Netherlands, according to NHK.