Reuters

The Irish government should consider copying Australia's plan to force Facebook Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google to share advertising revenue with local media, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Friday.

Swiss food giant Nestle reported its best quarterly sales growth in nearly five years on Friday as consumers stockpiled anything from Purina pet food to Nescafe coffee to frozen meals in preparation for coronavirus lockdowns.

New orders for key U.S.-made capital goods unexpectedly rose in March, but the gains are not likely to be sustainable amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, which has abruptly shut down the country and contributed to a collapse in crude oil prices.

With the U.S. coronavirus death toll nearing 50,000, Georgia pushed ahead with its plan to become the first state to allow an array of small businesses to reopen on Friday despite the disapproval of U.S. President Donald Trump and health experts.

U.S. investment banks are shrinking lending activity in Europe as the pandemic forces them to focus on home, allowing BNP Paribas and other European lenders to fill the gaps and grab market share, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The S&P 500 edged higher in choppy trading on Friday as some states prepared to relax curbs imposed to contain the coronavirus outbreak, but declines in Intel and Boeing weighed on the blue-chip Dow Jones.

An average of 750 workers of Fiat Chrysler Melfi assembly plant in southern Italy will be back to work next week to prepare the facility for the final development of the group's new hybrid cars, a union representative said on Friday.

Oil prices rose on Friday, but were on course for their third straight weekly loss as production shutdowns failed to keep pace with the collapse in demand caused by the coronavirus crisis.

The U.S. Small Business Admininstration will make additional coronavirus-related financial assistance available to small businesses beginning on Monday, a top Republican senator said.

A French court on Friday rejected U.S. online retailer Amazon's appeal against a ruling that restricts what it can deliver during the coronavirus crisis.

The technology and healthcare sectors have tightened their grip on global stock markets since the coronavirus shock knocked world shares from February's record highs.

The U.S. Federal Reserve announced Friday that banks can now allow account holders to make an unlimited number of withdrawals and transfers from their savings accounts.

U.S. stock markets jumped at the open on Friday as some states prepared to relax curbs imposed to contain the coronavirus outbreak, with a surprise rise in orders for core U.S.-made capital goods adding to the gains.

Georgia pushed ahead with its plan to become the first U.S. state to allow an array of merchants to reopen on Friday following a month-long shutdown to stanch the coronavirus outbreak, even though both U.S. President Donald Trump and health experts voiced disapproval.

Global equity benchmarks edged higher on Friday as investors weighed a slight gain in oil against concerns that further stimulus measures by the European Union to combat the economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic could be delayed until next year.

Nestle expects a "more vigorous" year for acquisitions in 2020 as the packaged food giant looks to expand its business, Chief Executive Mark Schneider said on Friday.

Swiss food giant Nestle reported its best quarterly sales growth in nearly five years on Friday as consumers stockpiled everything from Purina pet food to Nescafe coffee to frozen meals to prepare for coronavirus lockdowns.

British pub operator Greene King has furloughed more than 36,000 employees, owner CK Asset Holdings said on Friday, as government measures to halt the spread of the coronavirus has led to the closure of all its pubs in the UK.

A French court rejected US online retailer Amazon's appeal against a ruling that limits what it can deliver during the coronavirus crisis.

Ryanair may see job losses if flights remain grounded due to coronavirus restrictions on travel beyond May, Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said on Friday.