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Two years into an ambitious growth plan to revive earnings at the largest U.S. oil company, Exxon Mobil Corp said on Thursday it would stick to its plans to "lean in" to spending even as its shares have lagged those of competitors, which are cutting costs.

Amazon.com Inc and Facebook Inc on Thursday joined Microsoft Corp in recommending employees in the Seattle area to work from home after several people in the region were infected with the coronavirus.

Portugal's flag carrier TAP cancelled a total of around 1,000 flights this month and next due to a fall in demand over concerns about the spreading coronavirus, the company said on Thursday, also envisaging an unspecified impact on revenues.

Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz looks ready to end his term where he began, setting interest rates near historic lows to support the broader economy at the risk of stoking higher prices in a housing market that is heating up.

Russia's state carrier Aeroflot said on Thursday it would suspend its flights to and from Hong Kong amid fears over coronavirus.

((This March 4 story corrects attribution of survey cited in paragraph nine to Prudential Financial))

Diversified manufacturer 3M Co has avoided major supply chain disruptions from the coronavirus outbreak by sourcing materials for its protective face masks from regional suppliers instead of far-flung locations, a company official told Reuters.

Kazakhstan's Energy Minister Nurlan Nogayev said on Thursday that OPEC and non-OPEC oil exporters have not yet reached consensus on the parameters of an extension on their oil output deal, the TASS news agency reported.

France's top court has recognized the right of an Uber driver to be considered an employee, a ruling that could upend the U.S. firm's business model and potentially require it to pay more taxes and benefits such as paid holidays.

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell last week, suggesting the labor market was on solid footing despite the coronavirus outbreak, which has stoked financial market fears of a recession and prompted an emergency interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve.

U.S. unit labor costs grew much slower than initially thought in the fourth quarter and were soft in 2019, suggesting inflation could remain tame despite tightening labor market conditions.

New orders for U.S.-made goods fell more than expected in January and could drop further as a worldwide coronavirus outbreak strains supply chains and undercuts the manufacturing sector, which had recently shown signs of stabilizing after a prolonged slump.

Oil fell on Thursday as the coronavirus epidemic showed no signs of slowing, with deaths mounting globally, and while major producers agreed on deeper output cuts to bolster prices, they could not immediately secure Russian support for the decision.

German airline group Lufthansa said on Thursday it is cancelling about 7,100 flights up to the end of March due to lower demand and the spread of coronavirus.

U.S. stock indexes opened sharply lower on Thursday as deaths from the coronavirus rose in the United States, forcing California to declare a state of emergency, while crippled travel demand hit airline stocks.

Two years into an ambitious growth plan to revive earnings at the largest U.S. oil company, Exxon Mobil said on Thursday it would stick to its plans to "lean in" to spending even as its shares have lagged its competitors, which are cutting costs.

Wall Street was set for strong declines at the open on Thursday as the fast-spreading coronavirus led California to declare an emergency, while airline stocks were hammered by crippled travel demand.

Two years into an ambitious growth plan to revive earnings at the largest U.S. oil company, Exxon Mobil said on Thursday it would stick to its plans to "lean in" to spending even as its rivals trim costs.

The Iranian oil minister confirmed on Thursday that OPEC ministers had agreed an extra 1.5 million barrel per day (bpd) cut in oil production and that Iran was still exempt from the reduction.

Russia is prepared for a possible drop in oil prices should OPEC and its allies fail to reach an agreement over cutting supply at meetings in Vienna this week, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Thursday.