The drop in big oil companies' profits in the past eight months isn't just a function of lower crude prices – it also reflects strategic choices.
Europe
Yen strengthens to hit two-year high against weak euro
The yen rose across the board on Tuesday, hitting a two-year high against the euro, after an economic adviser to Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe indicated that the currency might have fallen too far and needed to retrace some of its losses.
Nokia in talks to buy Alcatel-Lucent; France wary about jobs
Nokia Oyj (NOK1V.HE) is in talks to buy smaller telecom equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent (ALUA.PA), a deal that would combine the industry's two weakest players but could pose challenges in cutting costs and overcoming political opposition.
Oil above $58 on U.S. shale output report, Mideast
Crude oil rose on Tuesday after a forecast that U.S. shale oil output would record its first monthly decline in more than four years and on tension in Yemen, where top oil exporter Saudi Arabia is embroiled in a civil war.
Deal talks, weak euro buoy European shares
European share markets touched a 14-year high on Tuesday, supported by takeover talks between telecoms equipment firms Nokia and Alcatel Lucent, while a shifting global monetary policy outlook weighed on the euro.
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A shock fall in Chinese exports hammered the Australian dollar on Monday, though expectations of fresh economic stimulus from Beijing helped Asian stocks higher
Airbus (AIR.PA) will not abandon its A380 jumbo jet program despite slow sales, its chief executive told Les Echos newspaper, and needs more time to decide whether to redesign its engines as major customer Emirates Airline has requested.
Julius Baer (BAER.VX) has not held talks with larger rival Credit Suisse (CSGN.VX) about merging, the Swiss private bank's chief executive said in comments made in the weekly Schweiz am Sonntag.
Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) Chairman Ferdinand Piech faces growing resistance within the carmaker's supervisory board to his criticism of Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn.
United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS.N) plans to invest 1 billion euros ($1.06 billion) in Europe to expand its package delivery network, German magazine Wirtschaftswoche reported on Sunday, without citing its sources.
Germany's BDI industry association is more optimistic about the prospects for Europe's biggest economy than it was three months ago due to cheap oil, strong private consumption and a weak euro, its president said on Sunday.
Investors will cast a wary eye on the latest gauges of the United States' economic health this week, while troubled Europe shows early signs of turning the corner.
German industrial group Siemens has seen sales in Russia plunge by about half due to the country's economic demise, Bild am Sonntag reported, citing chief executive Joe Kaeser.
German industrial robot maker Kuka is open to further purchases after acquiring Swiss logistics group Swisslog last year, Welt am Sonntag reported, citing chief executive Till Reuter.
