International News
US close: S&P 500, Nasdaq notch up fresh record highs
Wall Street finished on a mixed note come Monday, following a solid performance last week as traders debated on the outlook for equities and, somewhat strikingly, despite a top Federal Reserve official coming out in favour of modifying the central bank's policy framework and dovish comments from some of his peers.
Asia close: Stocks rise amid heightened risk appetite
Asian stocks were mostly higher at the start of the week, even as traders and analysts continued to ponder aloud about the underpinnings of recent equity market gains.
Trump defends his mental health: "I'm a stable genius"
President Donald Trump has hit back at people questioning his mental health by boasting about his intelligence on Twitter.
Europe close: Analysts a tad cautious on near-term outlook
Stocks on the Continent held onto an early advance, following bumper gains during the prior week and amid an ongoing debate among analysts regarding the outlook for shares in 2018.
US open: All eyes on Fed speakers
Wall Street is trading on a mixed note come Monday, following a solid performance last week as traders wait on multiple Fed speakers.
Nicola Sturgeon: "No Brexit is preferable to no deal"
First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon has made clear that a Brexit without a deal is unthinkable and has said that Theresa should stop appeasing hard-line Brexiteers and think about what is best for the country.
Merkel hopeful of renewed coalition talks
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was optimistic that renewed talks between her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) would break the nation's political stalemate.
GoPro to cut more than 250 jobs after disappointing holiday quarter
GoPro announced that it would be undertaking a major restructuring of its business on Monday after issuing an unexpected warning on sales over the holiday period.
European consumer, business and investor sentiment surveys all impress
European consumer, business and investor sentiment surveys were all better than expected on Monday, though expectations for inflation and therefore interest rates remain low.
UK economic sentiment rises along with improved EU mood
UK economic sentiment improved in December, according to a European Commission survey released on Monday.
National Bank of Romania hikes interest rates by surprise
Romania's central bank surprised most forecasters on Monday, hiking its main policy rate at the turn of the year in a bid to dampen above-target inflation.
US pre-open: Stocks seen muted as investors eye Fedspeak
US futures pointed to a muted open on Wall Street on Monday following a solid performance last week.
China FX reserves rise to highest level in over a year in December
China's foreign exchange reserves hit their highest level since September 2016 last month as interbank liquidity tightened, analysts said.
German factory orders slip in November
German factory orders unexpectedly slipped in November, according to data released by Destatis.
2018 outlook for miners compelling, Barclays says
The outlook for miners remains "compelling", analysts at Barclays told clients, pointing to a raft of positive drivers for the sector.
Volkswagen and Uber partner with NVIDIA for self-driving vehicles
Volkswagen and Uber will introduce NVIDIA tech in their vehicles to create artificially intelligent self-driving cars and trucks.
Tesla's Elon Musk looks to build drive-in restaurant at California Supercharger station
Tesla chief executive Elon Musk announced on Sunday that he was exploring the concept of building several retro drive-in restaurants at the company's new Supercharger stations across Los Angeles.
Eurozone retail sales beat forecasts
Retailers in the euro zone are enjoying a better time than their UK counterparts, a survey showed on Monday.