The Canadian economy grew 4.5 percent in the second quarter of 2017, the government statistical agency said Thursday, pushing beyond forecasts to the highest growth rate in 15 years.

The dollar extended its gains on Thursday as strong US growth and jobs data helped traders move past North Korea's missile test, while oil rebounded slightly as deadly storm Harvey batters the Gulf Coast.

After a tough two years, China's largest banks are reporting green shoots, with the top four turning in consensus-beating profits and promising an upbeat second half.

India's economy likely showed further signs of recovery in the latest quarter from a shock cash squeeze late last year, but the rebound is not expected to be strong enough to help it reclaim the crown of the world's fastest-growing major economy.

Rice prices dropped this week in Thailand, Vietnam and India due to weak demand for the staple, traders said on Thursday.

Launches of new digital currencies, known as initial coin offerings (ICOs), have shaken up social and economic order, created hidden financial risks, and in some cases may amount to fraud, China's National Internet Finance Association said.

Toshiba Corp failed to seal a deal to sell its prized chip business by an internal deadline of Thursday, raising doubts about whether it can plug a balance sheet hole in time to avoid a delisting and keep the unit competitive.

Six new banks have joined a UBS-led effort to create a digital cash system that would allow financial markets to make payments and settle transactions quickly via blockchain technology. The group aims to launch the system late next year.

German industrial group Siemens has agreed to buy Dutch self-driving software specialist Tass International for an undisclosed sum to strengthen its automotive business, it said on Wednesday.

The US economy grew at its fastest pace in more than two years in the second quarter, much faster than initially estimated, official data showed Wednesday.

Crude oil slid and gasoline futures hit their highest since mid-2015 on Wednesday as flooding and damage from Tropical Storm Harvey shut over a fifth of US refineries, curbing demand for crude while raising the risk of fuel shortages.

Russia's central bank said Tuesday it was stepping in to save the country's eighth largest lender, Otkritie, amid fears over its stability following a sharp drop in customer deposits in recent months.

The British government announced Tuesday reforms that could see companies that award generous pay packages despite shareholder opposition shamed in a public register, although the package was less ambitious than the original proposals.

Saudi Arabia invited bids Tuesday from 25 shortlisted companies to build a 400 megawatt wind power project, as the world's top oil exporter pushes for renewable sources to diversify its energy mix.

Damage from Hurricane Harvey could put it among the top five most costly US storms ever, with failing dams and levees driving up loss forecasts, data modeling showed Tuesday.

The US Justice Department is investigating whether Uber broke American laws against bribing foreign officials to promote business interests, the company confirmed Tuesday.

Moody's Investors Service kept its forecast for G20 economic growth at just over 3 percent for this year and next, but warned of geopolitical risks, US protectionism and spillovers from global monetary tightening and China's deleveraging measures.

Brazil's President Michel Temer heads to China with ministers and business leaders Tuesday to woo investors as he seeks to privatise a host of state utilities.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel endorsed the idea of a European Monetary Fund on Tuesday and said she could imagine creating a combined European finance and economy minister, signalling a willingness to deepen euro zone integration.

Crude prices dipped on Tuesday as the market grappled with the shutdown of some 13 percent of refining capacity in the United States after a hurricane ripped through the heart of the country's oil industry.