Profits at Google’s parent company Alphabet have been hit following last month’s record fine imposed by the EU. Despite strong growth in the

Brazil's Bovespa index fell 10 percent on a report President Michel Temer condoned an attempt to silence a potential witness in a corruption probe.

Saudi Arabia and Russia have agreed to pump less through until March 2018 to further cut the huge amount of oil in storage around the world.

The euro hit a six-month high against the dollar but later slipped back amid uncertainty over next month's French parliamentary elections.

Oil prices have been on a roller coaster ride from oversupply worries, strong opinion poll numbers for French centrist Macron boosted share prices.

Twitter - the social media platform beloved by US president Donald Trump - saw its shares surgeafter it added a lot more users that had been expected.

Europe's stock markets made moderate gains on Tuesday with as investors shifted their focus from politics to business fundamentals.

French media giant Vivendi is reportedly to focus on buying video games and advertising companies to address investor concerns about its strategy.

There were no surprises from the first round of the French election which meant a relief rally for the European stock markets and beyond.

The CAC40 in Paris was the standout gainer on Thursday with investors reassured there will be no major surprises in Sunday's presidential election.

There further volatility in financial markets on Wednesday following the surprise general election announcement by Britain's prime minister.

Europe's stock market indexes tumbled on the UK election announcement with investors worried that this adds to political uncertainty in the region.

Electric car maker Tesla's share price continues to rise and the total value of those shares now make it worth more than General Motors.

Shares of Germany's biggest banks fell sharply in value after it announced details of the sale of new shares needed to increase its capital reserves.

A merger between the London Stock Exchange and Germany's Deutsche Boerse looks to be heading for collapse over competition issues.

Shares in Anglo-Dutch consumer goods group Unilever fell after US rival Kraft Heinz Co abruptly abandoned its surprise takeover proposal.

Mobile messaging service Snapchat has started a marketing campaign to convince investors to buy its shares when they go on sale in March.

Brent goes through 54$, WTI 51$, oil hitting year highs

Snapchat seems to move closer to becoming a public company by reportedly filed for an initial public offering of shares to test investor interest.

European shares were down early on Wednesday in the wake of the shock election result in the US but then rallied