France and Germany jointly agreed a scaled-back version of an EU digital tax Tuesday, that they hoped would break significant opposition to the plan amongst bloc partners.

Opec members and other oil-producing countries convene in Vienna this week to discuss lowering their output, as they scramble to buffer their earnings against plunging crude prices, while also coming under heavy US pressure to ensure that the commodity stays cheap.

Australia's central bank kept interest rates at a record-low on Tuesday as a drop in house prices accelerated.

Microsoft Corp's stock market value closed above Apple Inc's for the first time in eight years on Friday as the Windows maker benefited from growth in cloud computing while Apple was hit by investor concern about iPhone demand.

The leaders of France and Japan on Friday stood by the Renault-Nissan auto alliance despite ructions from the arrest of its chief executive, officials said.

India's economic growth slowed to 7.1 percent in the second quarter, official data showed Friday, as its banks endure a liquidity crunch that is hampering investment in Asia's third-largest economy.

EU antitrust regulators have asked Google's rivals if the internet search giant unfairly demotes local search competitors, according to a questionnaire seen by Reuters, a move which could lead to a fourth case against the Alphabet unit.

Tesla Inc met its production target of 1,000 Model 3 cars per day, automotive news website Electrek reported on Friday, citing Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk's email to employees.

Canada's economic growth slowed in the third quarter to 2.0 percent from 2.9 percent despite a boost in mining and petroleum refining as foreign demand pushed up prices, according to government data out Friday.

China's factory activity fizzled in November, official data showed Friday, in the latest sign that the world's second-largest economy is losing steam in the midst of a US trade war.

Physical gold demand in the world's second biggest bullion consumer India got a fillip this week from a slide in local rates due to gains in the rupee, while buying was steady in other top Asian hubs.

Pakistan's rupee plunged almost five percent to a record low Friday after what appeared to be a sixth devaluation by the central bank in the past year as the country struggles with an acute balance of payment crisis.

Eurozone inflation slowed in November, official data showed on Friday, lending support to rising fears that economic activity in Europe is cooling.

Economists and investors have been scratching their heads this week over signals from the Federal Reserve, which left the future of US monetary policy open to broadly divergent interpretations.

With Carlos Ghosn's arrest, frustrations over the tycoon's management style have burst into the open within Nissan, with some staff also weary of playing second fiddle to Renault and its French-state backers.

Switzerland's economy abruptly went into reverse in the third quarter, contracting by 0.2 percent, with exports tumbling and even the country's vaunted financial sector seeing growth halt.

Microsoft Corp's stock market value surpassed Apple Inc's, pulling ahead by as much as $3 billion on Wednesday as the Windows software maker benefited from optimism about demand for cloud computing services.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Wednesday slammed Beijing for failing to offer "meaningful reform" on aggressive trade policies that harm US workers and industry, and threatened tariffs on Chinese autos.

Fred Perrotta spent four years building a network of Chinese suppliers for his line of trendy backpacks, but as soon as the United States announced tariffs on almost half of its Chinese imports, he started looking for suppliers in other countries.

Joblessness in Germany fell to a new historic low in November, official data showed Thursday, as employers shrugged off a darkening economic outlook to keep hiring.