American Airlines Group (AAL.O), United Airlines (UAL.N) and other carriers reported strong third-quarter profits on Thursday, helped by falling fuel costs, and mostly shrugged off concerns that Ebola could affect their outlook.

Procter & Gamble Co (PG.N) said it would exit its Duracell battery business, likely through a splitoff into a separate company, as it looks to focus on faster-growing brands.

Ford Motor Co's third-quarter earnings fell 34 percent but beat Wall Street expectations on a strong showing in North America even as revenue fell due to the cost of introducing the F-150 pickup truck.

AMC Networks Inc (AMCX.O) said on Thursday it agreed to pay $200 million for a 49.9 percent stake in BBC America and would take operational control of the cable television channel.

Singapore Airlines Ltd (SIA) (SIAL.SI) is injecting cash into money-losing Tiger Airways Ltd (TAHL.SI), signalling its resolve to persevere in the low-cost segment even after the budget affiliate bowed out of three regional markets.

Apple Inc (AAPL.O) said on Thursday it is studying options for sapphire supply and might work again with GT Advanced Technologies Inc (GTATQ.PK) if the distressed supplier can reduce production costs for the scratch-resistant material.

E-commerce services provider Digital River Inc said on Thursday it entered into an agreement to be acquired by an investor group led by Siris Capital Group LLC for about $840 million.

A unit of Bank of New York Mellon Corp, one of the largest wealth managers in the United States, has won regulatory clearance for the sale of its stake in a joint venture with China's Western Securities Co Ltd , as a shake-out continues among partnerships in the country's financial industry.

Online home-rental marketplace Airbnb Inc valuation is set to be valued at $13 billion, up from its $10 billion valuation in March this year, as it discusses an employee stock sale, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

If the European Central Bank really wants to kick-start the euro zone economy, it should ensure the bloc's banks are up to the task of lending.

Drugmakers are looking for some kind of indemnity from governments or multilateral agencies against possible losses or claims arising from the widespread emergency use of new Ebola vaccines in Africa.

The Brazilian real on Thursday slumped to a 9-1/2-year low while the Bovespa stock index erased its 2014 gains as investors feared President Dilma Rousseff may defeat market-favorite candidate Aecio Neves in Sunday's presidential election.

The yen languished at two-week lows against the dollar early on Friday, having come under renewed pressure overnight after an encouraging rally on Wall Street dampened demand for the safe haven currency.

Determined not to repeat a holiday season that left millions of packages delivered too late and customers seething, United Parcel Service Inc (UPS.N) and FedEx Corp (FDX.N) are investing heavily in new infrastructure - but the continued dynamic growth of e-commerce will test those efforts.

Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) and U.S. defense officials have reached agreement on the terms of a contract worth about $4 billion for an eighth batch of 43 F-35 fighter jets, sources familiar with the deal said on Thursday.

The U.S. Federal Reserve said on Thursday it would assume wider corporate bond spreads and a higher oil price in the most strenuous scenario it will use in next year's run of its annual check of banks' health.

Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) reported higher-than-expected quarterly revenue, helped by stronger sales of its phones, Surface tablets and cloud-computing products for companies, while keeping its profit margins largely intact.

Euro zone businesses performed much better than forecasters expected this month and China's vast factory sector grew a shade faster but there were worrying signs that the upturn could be short-lived.

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose last week, but the underlying trend firmly pointed to strengthening labor market conditions.

Fast-growing Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Inc said on Thursday it is migrating some data on non-Chinese customers away from its servers in Beijing due to performance and privacy considerations.

Drugmakers Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N) and Mylan Inc (MYL.O) on Wednesday declined to explain in detail why they changed the terms of a $5.3 billion deal in which Mylan will buy part of Abbott's overseas generics business and reincorporate for tax purposes in the Netherlands.

Auto parts maker Delphi Automotive Plc (DLPH.N) is looking to sell its business that makes heating and cooling systems for cars, and will seek as much as $1 billion, Bloomberg reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

Private equity firms are circling Bayer's (BAYGn.DE) 10 billion-euro ($12.7 billion) plastics business, hoping to divert the German drugmaker from its plan to list the division, two people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

Boeing said on Wednesday it had sold aircraft-related goods to Iran Air in the third quarter, marking the first acknowledged dealings between U.S. aerospace companies and Iran since the 1979 U.S. hostage crisis.

A consortium of buyout firms Advent International Corp and Avista Capital Partners is in advanced talks to acquire UCB SA's (UCB.BR) U.S. generic drugs unit Kremers Urban Pharmaceuticals Inc, according to people familiar with the matter.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday paused its informal "shot clock" deadline on the reviews of the proposed mergers of AT&T Inc (T.N) and DirecTV (DTV.O) and of Comcast Corp (CMCSA.O) and Time Warner Cable Inc (TWC.N) over the issue of confidential programming agreements.

GOOGL.O) launched an email service called "Inbox" on Wednesday that will better organize emails and display information such as appointments, flight bookings and package deliveries in a more user-friendly way.

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd is looking to expand its entertainment content offering on its Internet television set-top boxes through deals with studios in the United States, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Japan's plan to open up to casino gambling has been delayed again, three people familiar with the process said, dealing a blow to one of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's policy priorities and to hopes the first resort will open in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Squeezed between cut-throat competition from online financing firms and rising funding costs, China's midsize banks are falling out of investors' favor as they increasingly lag behind the country's top five lenders.