Shares of Amazon.com Inc were down 3% on Friday, as investors were let down by a lower-than-expected sales outlook and surprised by slower revenue growth at its lucrative AWS cloud business.
Global stock indexes were flat to higher on Friday as upbeat earnings offset weaker-than-expected results, while the British pound extended losses from the previous day amid fresh uncertainty around Britain's exit from the European Union.
Vale SA's chief executive officer said on Friday that a resumption in paying dividends or share buybacks would depend on progress in repairing the damage from its Brumadinho tailings dam collapse, which killed more than 250 people.
Oil prices were steady on Friday but were on track for the strongest weekly gains in more than a month as support from falling U.S. crude inventories, optimism over a U.S.-China trade deal and possible action from OPEC and its allies to extend output cuts outweighed broader economic concerns.
U.S. and Chinese trade officials are "close to finalizing" some parts of an agreement after high-level telephone discussions on Friday, the U.S. Trade Representative's office said, adding that deputy-level talks would proceed "continuously."
Europe's traders were sending European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi off in style on Thursday, raising the region's stocks to their highest in more than a year and nudging the euro towards its best month since January 2018.
Oil slipped below $61 a barrel on Thursday as concern over the demand outlook offset a surprise drop in U.S. crude inventories and the prospect of further action by OPEC and its allies to support the market.
German sportswear group Puma cautioned on Thursday that it would take a hit from U.S. tariffs on China in the fourth quarter but still raised its sales forecast and narrowed its profit target after a strong third quarter in all regions.
3M Co , the maker of Scotch tape and Post-it notes, reported a 2% fall in quarterly revenue and lowered its full-year earnings outlook, hurt by slowing demand for its products in key markets such as China.
Southwest Airlines Co reported a 7.2% rise in third-quarter profit on Thursday, as strong travel demand and higher fares offset the hit from flight cancellations due to the grounding of its Boeing 737 MAX jets.
Dow Inc's quarterly profit beat Wall Street estimates on Thursday, as it kept a tight lid on costs against the backdrop of lower prices for chemicals used in making plastics.
South Korea's Hyundai Motor pledged to boost sales of electric vehicles (EV) to over half a million by 2025 as part of a bid to focus on new technologies and catch up with rivals, but some analysts saw the target as conservative and warned of the costs.
Tesla turned in an unexpectedly profitably third-quarter and better than anticipated progress on its Shanghai factory.
Hershey Co raised its full-year revenue forecast after posting third-quarter results that beat Wall Street estimates on Thursday, driven by price increases and investments in snacking brands.
Duetsche Bank downgraded Ford to hold from buy and lowered its price target to $11 from $12.