French bank Societe Generale on Wednesday said it tripled net profit last year thanks to an improved balance sheet and would more than double the dividend payout to shareholders.

Shares in the bank, France's third biggest by assets, soared nearly six percent on the news, leading gains on the Paris CAC 40 index which was up just 0.41 percent in midday trading.

Canada's Conservative government plans on entering an election next year with a surplus.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty unveiled a federal budget on Tuesday that projects a $6.9 billion surplus in 2015. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, first elected in 2006, is expected to offer tax cuts during the election.

Toyota on Wednesday announced a global recall of 1.9 million Prius hybrid cars because of a fault that could cause the vehicle to slow down suddenly, in the latest safety blow to the Japanese auto giant.

The company said it decided on the call-back -- the biggest for the eco-friendly vehicle -- after the discovery of problems with software used to control a power converter that posed a risk to drivers.

Airbus' flagship A380 got a fresh lift Wednesday after leasing firm Amedeo firmed up its order for 20 of the superjumbo aircraft in a deal worth $8.3 billion.

The two firms signed the purchase agreement at the Singapore Airshow.

France runs a "significant risk" of overshooting its budget deficit targets and even the government's latest plans will fall short of meeting EU limits, national auditors warned on Tuesday.

The public accounts court said that a slow start made to cutting spending meant that the government would have to cut even deeper than the targeted 50 billion euros ($68.0 billion) in the 2015-2017 period.

Swiss food giant Nestle is to sell a chunk of its shares in French cosmetics giant L'Oreal, the firms said on Tuesday, in a signal that Nestle has dropped the option of a takeover.

L'Oreal is to buyback a stake of 8.0 percent from Nestle which currently owns 29.4 percent.

China's gold consumption soared 41.36 percent in 2013, industry data showed, with state media reporting Tuesday the country has probably overtaken India as the world's largest consumer of the precious metal.

Last year, China consumed 1,176.4 tonnes of the yellow metal, the China Gold Association said in a statement.

Barclays will axe thousands of jobs and raise bonuses for its investment bankers this year, the under-fire British lender announced on Tuesday after posting a return to annual profits.

Chief executive Antony Jenkins, who has himself declined a huge bonus as Barclays is probed along with other banks over possible manipulation of foreign exchange trading, said that between 10,000 and 12,000 jobs would go worldwide this year.

U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen can expect global financial markets to scrutinize her first public remarks since taking over the central bank's leadership this month.

Investors this week will try to determine whether Yellen will embrace all the policies of her predecessor, Ben Bernanke. They will also look for any clues that she is worried about the economy or the stock market's turbulence.

A global property consultant says there are worrying signs that Dubai could be facing another economic bubble.

In its annual report on real estate trends in the United Arab Emirates, Jones Lang LaSalle pointed to a number of concerns, including unsustainable growth in property costs and speculative buying following Dubai's win to host the world fair in 2020.