Reuters Business News

Reckitt Benckiser achieved record sales growth in the first quarter and predicted a stronger than expected performance in 2020 as customers stocked up on Lysol disinfectants, Mucinex cough syrup and Dettol soap ahead of the coronavirus lockdowns.

Facebook Inc will allow users in the United States and Canada to transfer photos and videos to a rival tech platform for the first time - a step that could assuage antitrust concerns by giving users an option to easily leave the company's services, the social media network said on Thursday.

U.S. agribusiness giant Cargill [CARG.UL] said on Thursday it will introduce a range of plant-based food products to China following a successful trial of plant-based nuggets by Yum China Holdings Inc's KFC.

Nokia Oyj eked out a small profit in the first quarter, backed by demand for its new high-margin 5G telecoms equipment, and predicted a strong second half of the year, sending its shares higher.

Thyssenkrupp has secured state aid of around 1 billion euros ($1.09 billion), newspaper Handelsblatt cited sources with knowledge of the matter as saying on Thursday.

Credit Suisse's search for a new chairman is well underway, the current chairman Urs Rohner told shareholders at the bank's annual general meeting on Thursday.

World stocks headed for their best month on record on Thursday, as encouraging early results from a COVID-19 treatment trial and expectations of more European Central Bank (ECB) stimulus later in the day helped ease the pain of February and March.

Oil prices jumped on Thursday, lifted by signs that the U.S. crude glut is not growing as quickly as expected and of a rise in fuel demand, which has been crushed by the coronavirus.

British supermarket group Sainsbury's warned the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on current year profit could be over 500 million pounds ($623 million) and said it would defer any dividend payment decisions until later this year.

Fiat Chrysler said on Thursday its Italian network of approved dealers and mechanic workshops would reopen on May 4, when the country is set to start lifting a national lockdown put in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Global smartphone production is expected to slump a record 16.5% to 287 million phones in the June quarter from a year earlier as the coronavirus pandemic muzzles demand, TrendForce said https://press.trendforce.com/press/20200430-3357.html, despite supply chains resuming after weeks of shutdown.

Audi , a unit of Volkswagen , said on Thursday it saw deliveries, revenue and operating profit "significantly below" last year as the coronavirus outbreak plays out.

European planemaker Airbus is in talks with the French state regarding possible support for aircraft deliveries, even though it has no liquidity problems at present, Airbus Chief Executive Guillaume Faury said on Thursday.

Malaysia Airlines (MAB) is working closely with sole shareholder Khazanah Nasional for financial support needed due to the coronavirus crisis, it said on Thursday.

The coronavirus is roiling global job markets, but the picture is not all gloomy. Finance, technology and consumer goods firms are hiring tens of thousands in the United States and other countries, according to data from Microsoft Corp's professional networking site LinkedIn.

British American Tobacco said on Thursday it was maintaining its guidance of high single figure earnings per share growth for 2020 while expecting some impact on volume and revenue growth in the second-quarter due to the coronavirus.

Japan Airlines on Thursday declined to release an annual earnings forecast or pay a shareholder dividend amid uncertainty over the future of air travel as the coronavirus pandemic saps demand for flights.

Carlsberg said on Thursday worse is still to come after a 7% decline in first quarter sales, as increased beer sales in supermarkets failed to balance the closure of bars and restaurants during the coronavirus lockdown.

Oil prices jumped on Thursday, buoyed by signs that the U.S. crude glut is not growing as quickly as expected and that fuel demand battered by COVID-19 restrictions is starting to pick up.

SoftBank Group Corp said it sees a loss of around 700 billion yen ($6.6 billion) for the year ended March on the portion of its WeWork investment held outside the Vision Fund, as the virus compounds woes at one of the firm's biggest bets.