U.S. stock investors head into the Thanksgiving holiday thankful for the market's recent strength, which puts major indexes on track for another year of double-digit gains, though the swiftness of the advance has raised eyebrows.

The Pentagon said on Friday it had awarded Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) a contract valued at $4.7 billion for an eighth batch of F-35 fighter jets that lowered the average price per jet by 3.5 percent from the last contract, and 57 percent from the first batch.

Singapore said on Friday it plans to regulate fast-growing third-party taxi booking services like Uber and GrabTaxi for the first time, capping fees and requiring them to dispatch only licensed cabs and drivers.

China and "probably one or two" other countries have the ability to invade and possibly shut down computer systems of U.S. power utilities, aviation networks and financial companies, Admiral Mike Rogers, the director of the U.S. National Security Agency, said on Thursday.

Brazil's JBS SA (JBSS3.SA), the world's largest beef exporter, has agreed to buy Australian processed foods producer Primo Smallgoods for $1.25 billion.

Sysco Corp (SYY.N), the biggest U.S. food distributor, is in advanced talks to sell some assets to a food company owned by Blackstone Group (BX.N) in order to win regulatory approval for its acquisition of US Foods Inc [USFOO.UL], the New York Post reported, citing sources.

Britain's Rolls-Royce (RR.L) said it won a $5 billion contract to supply aero engines to power 50 new Airbus (AIR.PA) planes ordered by Delta Air Lines (DAL.N).

Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) is to invest 85.6 billion euros ($106 billion) in its automotive operations over the next five years to push foreign expansion, new models and technology to back its quest for global leadership.

Alibaba Group Holding (BABA.N) sold the largest bond by an Asian company last night via a $8 billion six-tranche offering. The tight pricing achieved on the deal led many to believe the US-listed Chinese ecommerce giant got away without paying a Chinese premium.

Taylor Swift's "1989" topped the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart for the third consecutive week on Wednesday. The most pop-oriented turn from the onetime country singer sold 312,000 copies last week, according to figures compiled by NielsenSoundscan. "1989" is the second album of the year, behind the soundtrack to Disney's animated film "Frozen," to spend at least three weeks atop the chart.

U.S. regulators warned investors of stock scams tied to West Africa's Ebola outbreak and suspended trading in four small companies that they said have made unverifiable claims about products to prevent or treat the deadly virus.

France has confirmed the selection of 12 Airbus A330 refueling tankers for the French Air Force, Airbus Group said on Thursday.

Japan's finance minister warned on Friday about the yen's weakening, describing it as "too rapid", but he stuck to the government's stance of allowing markets to determine exchange rates and dismissed the need to intervene to halt the slide.

U.S. government safety regulators on Thursday told Chrysler Group LLC Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne that the company "have to get their act in gear" to speed up repairs of recalled Jeep SUVs that face a heightened fire risk.

Underlying inflation pressures rose in October, even as falling gasoline prices kept overall U.S. consumer prices in check, bolstering expectations of a mid-2015 interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve.

Boeing Co has no plans to extend the range of its forthcoming 737 MAX 9 jetliner in response to Airbus Group's move to offer a long-range version of its competing A321 aircraft, a senior Boeing executive said on Thursday.

Canada's Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc said it may buy back up to $2 billion worth of securities, replacing a previous $1.5 billion program under which it bought back no securities.

Indian outsourcing major Infosys Ltd's back-office services unit was overcharging Apple Inc, leading to the exit of top executives, two senior Infosys people said on Thursday.

GoDaddy Inc is planning an initial public offering early next year that would value the world's biggest provider of web addresses at roughly $4.5 billion, the New York Post said.

Asian shares took solace from data showing broad U.S. economic strength even as signs of spreading weakness in China and Europe checked risk appetite, while the yen nursed its losses after sliding to multi-year lows against the dollar and euro overnight.

Yahoo Inc struck a deal with Firefox maker Mozilla Corp to replace Google Inc as the default search engine on the Firefox Web browser in the United States, a move that Yahoo Chief Executive Marissa Mayer said will help boost its flagging search market share.

Jack Ma, the founder of China's Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA.N), said on Thursday the firm will set up an international version of its e-commerce marketplace Taobao to serve shoppers worldwide in multiple languages, including English and Chinese.

Canadian mobile instant messaging company Kik Interactive Inc said on Wednesday it had raised C$38.3 million and acquired video messaging company Relay as it aims to turn its youth-focused application into a broader platform for commerce.

European planemaker Airbus (AIR.PA) has won a crucial order worth roughly $14 billion at list prices from Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) for 50 long-haul, wide-bodied jets, three people familiar with the matter said.

Germany's top utility E.ON SE (EONGn.DE) has entered exclusive talks to sell its Spanish activities to Australian infrastructure investor Macquarie Group Ltd (MQG.AX), four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.

The German medical group Fresenius (FMEG.DE) and the Permira investment fund PERM.UL have made an offer for the medical nutrition arm of Danone (DANO.PA), The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing sources close to the matter.

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd (2317.TW), the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer, will partner with flat-panel maker Innolux Corp (3481.TW) in investing T$86.8 billion ($2.8 billion) in a panel-producing plant in Taiwan, the firms said.

Three African economic blocs will merge into a new 27-nation free-trade zone under an agreement to be signed in Cairo next month, uniting markets worth 58 percent of the continent's economic activity, Egypt's industry and trade minister said.

Japan needs to open up its beer market to European exports if Tokyo and Brussels are to agree one of the world's biggest free trade deals next year, according to an EU document prepared for the next round of talks in December.

Japanese trading house Itochu Corp, is seeking to sell PrimeSource Building Products Inc, the largest distributor of screws and nails in the United States, for more than $1 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.