Facebook over $100 per share for first time
Microsoft and Amazon shares surge on strong profits
TalkTalk executive: all 4 million customers could be affected after cyberattack
China cuts interest rates by 0.25%
Maersk profit warning over shipping market slowdown
That's all from BBC Business Live today. On Monday, we will bring you financial results from Philips, and WPP - the world's largest advertising agency. Japan Post is also expected to float on the stock exchange on Monday, after the government sold it and its insurance and banking subsidiaries; it's billed to be the world's biggest public offering of the year.
Shares in the US closed the week higher, buoyed by positive company results, a China rate cut, and comments yesterday from the European Central Bank hinting at more financial stimulus for the eurozone economy after December. The Dow Jones closed up 0.9% to 17,647.2 points, and the S&P 500 closed up 1.1% to 2,075.16 points. The tech-heavy Nasdaq had the biggest gain though, led upwards by gains in Microsfot, Amazon and Alphabet because of positive earnings results. The Nasdaq closed up 2.27% to 5,031.86 points - the first time in two months it has ended above 5,000 points.
Image source, Getty ImagesStock markets in the us continue their opening gains - the Dow Jones is up 1.05%, the S&P 500 is up 1.2% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq has benefited the most from positive results from Microsoft, Amazon and Alphabet. The Nasdaq is up over 2.5%.
Image source, Getty ImagesJapan and Turkmenistan have signed a raft of deals, mainly energy related, worth about $18bn (£12bn).
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is on a week-long tour to a number of Central Asian states, and Turkmenistan, with its massive natural gas resources, is the first port of call.
Shares in footwear firm Skechers have sunk more than 35% after the company's most recent financial results missed expectations. The company said the strong dollar reduced the value of international sales.
Image source, Getty ImagesBrazil will urgently focus on improving its 2016 budget to reignite growth, even as a deteriorating economy depresses tax collection this year, Finance Minister Joaquim Levy has said, reports Reuters news agency. A deepening recession and political gridlock have dragged down revenues, forcing the government to drop its goal of reaching a primary budget surplus in 2015. Instead, it now projects a massive deficit this year.
Image source, Getty ImagesBBC Scotland editor Douglas Fraser tweets:
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Just four fines were issued to companies making cold calls last year despite 155,270 complaints from phone users, new figures show. Complaints about phone calls from marketers have risen sharply over the past four years since the public have been able to report them online. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) can levy fines of up to £500,000 but has never done so. It has issued 11 smaller fines since 2008. Read more on the BBC website.
Image source, BBC/ Sophie MutevelianValeant Pharmaceuticals shares rebounded from four days of steep losses over allegations it used "phantom" pharmacies to inflate revenue with "pretend" sales, which the company plans to refute in detail on Monday. Shares are up almost 6% but analysts say that is not enough to claw back lossessince the revelations on Wednesday, external. The company reported revenues of $2.8bn during the three months to September.
Image source, Getty ImagesLondon's FTSE 100 index closed higher by 1.04% to 6,442.63 points, which analysts put down to China's decision to cut its interest rate. Comments from the European Central Bank president yesterday saying that the eurozone could receive more financial stimulus after December also buoyed investor optimism.
Pearson shares are still suffering, after the educational publisher said uptake of its products in the US were not doing particularly well. They are currently down over 5%, becoming the index's biggest loser currently. The group sold the Financial Times newspaper in July.
TalkTalk customers will get free software to help them monitor their credit reports, after the company suffered a cyber attack in which customer bank details could have been breached by hackers. Chief executive Dido Harding is on the BBC News Channel says that credit monitoring software will be funded by TalkTalk for one year to protect customers in case their pay details were stolen in the attack.
Image source, Getty ImagesTalkTalk's chief executive is unsure how many people are affected and whether or not all customer data was protected - or 'encrypted' - by the company. Dido Harding is on the BBC News Channel after Talk Talk suffered a cyberattack and faced criticism for not telling regulators early enough. The UK's Information Commisssioner earlier said that the kind of cyber attack Talk Talk was subject to was inexcusable for 2015. Critics say the company made itself too vulnerable by not protecting against basic attacks.
Talk Talk's chief executive Dido Harding is on the BBC News Channel and said that after the cyberattack which the company suffered, despite many customers now wanting to leave the company, she cannot made any decision on terms and conditions or leaving contracts until her company has finished investigations to see how many customers' details were leaked. She has said it is potentially all of her 4 million customers.
Talk Talk's chief executive Dido Harding is on the BBC News Channel after the telecomms and internet company sustained a severe cyber attack from hackers. She says all 4 million of her customers could be affected but acknowledges that it is strange that at this point she cannot reveal the full number until more investigations are done.
Shares in telecomms and internet giant Talk Talk are now 2.35% lower, recovering from an earlier slump of 11% after news that the company had suffered a severe and sustained cyber attack from hackers.
Optimism on Wall Street is clearly infectious - all of these positive company results have driven US stock markets higher, along with news of the Chinese interest rate cut which has made investors confident, analysts say. The optimism drove Facebook shares up almost 2%, past the $100 mark for the first time, to $101.55.
Image source, Getty ImagesBBC business reporter Rob Young tweets:
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Shares in Alphabet - Google's new spun-off parent company - are up over 8% after the company reported positive quarterly results overnight. Alphabet has the novel web address "abc.xyz".
Image source, GoogleAmazon shares were up around 8% shortly after opening, after the company reported a surprise profit in its quarterly earnings yesterday, thanks to increased sales in North America and more demand for its cloud products. Cloud products also helped Microsoft's profits in its quarterly earnings report yesterday.
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