Comcast Corp plans to drop its $45 billion offer to buy Time Warner Cable Inc in the face of opposition from U.S. regulators, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

Most U.S. companies so far this earnings season have managed to beat Wall Street profit forecasts despite weak sales, but investors hoping corporate headwinds have died down may need to temper their enthusiasm.

The Apple Watch will launch with a whisper rather than a bang on Friday, an unusual start for the company that may reflect early uncertainty about demand for Apple Inc boss Tim Cook's first new product.

Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) has pulled out all the stops on its new Galaxy smartphones, but their modest prices compared to the latest iPhones throw an uneasy spotlight on the long-term cost of fighting Apple's (AAPL.O) premium branding.

Telecoms equipment maker Ericsson (ERICb.ST) reported a surprise fall in profits on Thursday as infrastructure spending by mobile network operators in its key North American market remained sluggish and fierce competition pressured margins elsewhere.

Legislation to give the White House "fast track" authority to nail down a Pacific trade pact cleared its first hurdle in the U.S. Congress on Wednesday as a committee backed the bill and sent it to the full Senate for consideration.

Asian shares weathered a soft reading on Chinese manufacturing on Thursday as it only whetted expectations for more policy stimulus there, while a sharp rise in British and German bond yields rippled through global debt markets.

Boeing Co shares dropped as much as 3 percent on Wednesday despite strong earnings, reflecting concerns about the aerospace company's cash flow, orders and costs.

Commodity trader Noble Group has been barred from taking part in some of the trading processes used to set global oil price benchmarks by reporting agency Platts, according to two people familiar with the matter.

German carmaker Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) is considering cooperating with China's Great Wall (601633.SS) on a new budget model, Germany's Manager Magazin reported on Wednesday, citing company sources.

Greece is in talks with its international creditors -- euro zone governments and the International Monetary Fund -- on a package of reforms that would help unlock more funding to prevent the cash-strapped country defaulting.

U.S. home resales surged to their highest level in 18 months in March as more homes came on the market, a sign of strength in housing ahead of the spring selling season.

Google Inc on Wednesday launched a new U.S. wireless service that switches between Wi-Fi and cellular networks to curb data use and keep phone bills low.

AT&T Inc on Wednesday reported quarterly profit that beat Wall Street estimates by a penny and lower-than-expected revenue that was nearly flat from a year ago.

Facebook Inc posted its slowest growth in quarterly revenue in two years and higher spending on research and development ate into profits.

U.S. stocks ended stronger on Wednesday as Visa's potential expansion into China and talk of a turnaround at McDonald's helped investors look beyond a mixed bag of quarterly earnings.

Japan's Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd (BTMU) has invested $100 million to become the first foreign lender in decades to open a branch in Myanmar on Wednesday, said Chief Executive Officer Go Watanabe.

Greece can scrape together enough cash to meet its payment obligations until June, euro zone and Greek officials said on Wednesday, playing down fears of an imminent default as hopes receded of a deal with its creditors to release fresh aid.

Greece will not present a list of economic reforms to euro zone finance ministers on Friday, a senior EU official said, adding the country should be able to stay solvent until June.

Leaders of Asian and African nations called on Wednesday for a new global order that is open to emerging economic powers and leaves the "obsolete ideas" of Bretton Woods institutions in the past.

Oil prices extended declines from the previous session on Wednesday as tensions in the Middle East eased after Saudi Arabia ended an air strike campaign in Yemen, but industry leaders said the market could rebound as attention turned to rising demand.

European stocks fell on Wednesday, failing to extend an overnight rally in Asia as investors looked to Greece's debt crisis and lurch towards possible default as an excuse to cash in gains chalked up earlier in the week.

Germany's Osram (OSRn.DE) plans to transfer its 2 billion euro ($2.5 billion) general lamps business into an independent legal structure, paving the way for a possible spin-off or sale and allowing it to focus on automotive lighting and components.

ConocoPhillips Inc (COP.N) is weighing sale of some of its North Sea assets in Norway which may fetch as much as $1 billion, Bloomberg reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Google Inc (GOOGL.O), already one of Washington's biggest spenders, set a company record for its lobbying activity in the first quarter of 2015 when it spent $5.5 million, according to a government database.

Major U.S. stock indexes lost ground on lackluster earnings reports on Tuesday, while oil fell on concerns about U.S. crude stockpiles and Saudi Arabia's announcement that it ended its military campaign in Yemen.

Euro zone finance ministers will not set any deadline for Greece to come up with reforms to get more funding because such time limits lead to brinkmanship in negotiations, a senior euro zone official said on Tuesday.

Yum Brands Inc, owner of KFC and Pizza Hut chains, on Tuesday said business in its biggest market China is recovering from a meat scare at one of its minor suppliers and the division would finish the year strong.

Bill Gross of Janus Capital Group Inc said on Tuesday that German 10-year Bunds were "the short of a lifetime" and that the trade could earn 10-15 percent over a period of one to two years.

U.S. stocks were a mixed bag on Tuesday, with the Dow ending lower after a handful of uninspiring earnings reports while the Nasdaq closed near a record high following a proposed biotech merger.