International News
Europe close: Gains in single currency cap upside on Dax
Stocks on the Continent finished off their best levels of the day as the euro approached a two-month high after Germany's SPD said it was open to talks with Angela Merkel's CDU/CSU.
US open: S&P 500 hits fresh high as dollar drops to two-month lows
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite are holding near fresh all-time highs hit at the start of the session amid a weak dollar.
Russia and OPEC agree to extend oil output cuts until end-2018
The Organisation for Petroleum Exporting Countries and the Russian Federation have agreed on the broad outlines of a deal to extend their crude oil supply cuts until the end of 2018.
S&P raises 2018 Brent oil price assumption to $55 a barrel
Analysts at S&P Global raised their expectations for Brent crude oil in 2018 to $55 a barrel on Friday.
Extremists kill 115 people in attack on Egyptian mosque
At least 115 people have been killed with dozens more wounded when extremists carried out a devastating attack on a mosque in the Egyptian town of Bir al-Abed located on the Sinai peninsula.
New Zimbabwe president Emmerson Mnangagwa pledges economic revival
Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in as president of Zimbabwe on Friday, two weeks after being sacked as vice-President by since-deposed leader Robert Mugabe, and made an immediate appeal to overseas investors to revive the economy.
Italian industrial sales and orders fall back in September
Italian industrial sales and orders in the euro area's third-largest economy shrank in September.
Hammond announces new rules to combat online VAT fraud
Under a renewed government crackdown on fraud, online retailers like Amazon and eBay would be required to monitor transactions through their website in order to stop scams where foreign companies warehoused goods in the UK and then sold them, VAT free.
Asia report: Markets mixed on quiet Friday
Markets in Asia were mixed on Friday, after a quiet start as traders struggled for direction following the Thanksgiving holiday in the US.
US pre-open: Stocks to nudge higher on shortened trading day
US futures pointed to a slightly higher open on Friday although volumes are expected to be light, with markets closing early following the Thanksgiving holiday.
German minority coalition eyed as SDP offers Merkel's CDU olive branch
In a move that would unite Germany's two largest parties in another 'grand coalition' government, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has extended an olive branch to Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in hopes of breaking the political deadlock in Berlin and avoiding another election.
German Ifo hits new high in November
German business confidence unexpectedly improved in November, according to a widely-followed survey released on Friday.