Iraq signed a contract Thursday with British energy giant BP to develop oil fields in the northern province of Kirkuk that were retaken from the Kurds last year.

Emirates Airlines said Thursday it has struck a $16 billion deal to buy 36 Airbus A380 superjumbos just days after the European manufactuer said it would have to halt production without new orders.

IMF chief Christine Lagarde has joined calls on Germany to invest in future economic growth even at the cost of relaxing its cherished budgetary discipline, raising hackles in Europe's powerhouse.

Goldman Sachs reported a rare quarterly loss Wednesday due to a one-time charge associated with U.S. tax reform. Performance across operating division was mixed.

The U.S. investment banking giant reported a fourth-quarter loss of $2.1 billion, compared with a profit of $2.2 billion in the year-ago period. 

Bitcoin, the dominant digital currency, extended a slump Wednesday following a recent surge to trade below $10,000 for the first time since the start of December.

Around 1410 GMT, bitcoin stood at $9,807.56 to record its lowest value since December 1 and a plunge of almost 50 percent since reaching a record high on December 18, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Germany's Volkswagen said Wednesday it sold a record number of vehicles in 2017, putting it on track to hold on to the title of world's largest carmaker two years after its "dieselgate" emissions scandal.

Leading economists from France and Germany on Wednesday called for new fiscal rules for the eurozone and the creation of an independent watchdog to help to make the single currency more resilient against crises in the future.

Bitcoin, the best known of hundreds of 'virtual' coins, slumped Tuesday to a six-week low below $12,000 as analysts blamed a rush by various jurisdictions to regulate the sector.

The British government on Tuesday defended its decision not to bail out imploding construction-to-catering group Carillion, as criticism grew of its handling of the giant firm's demise.

General Motors announced Tuesday it will take a $7 billion hit due to the U.S. tax reform but expects earnings this year to be comparable to the solid results in 2017.