Furniture brand IKEA's main retail vehicle said on Friday shoppers were returning quickly to its shopping centres after it reopened three in China last week, and one in Germany this week - its first four to open after closures due to the coronavirus.
As the economy shut down, businesses diverted spending to technology, while cutting back more broadly, including on payments to suppliers.
After another disappointing EU summit, the European Central Bank finds itself in a familiar position as the leading saviour of the euro, once again being called upon to push out its boundaries while politicians bicker.
A side hustle can bring in some much-needed cash during the pandemic. These gigs allow for social distancing.
Nestle Chief Executive Mark Schneider warned on Friday against reading too much into the company's first-quarter results, which marked its best quarterly growth for nearly five years as customers stockpiled food to deal with coronavirus shutdowns.
Credit card issuer American Express Co posted a 76% drop in quarterly profit on Friday, as it set aside $1.7 billion to brace itself against potential non-payments due to a wave of coronavirus-led layoffs.
Singapore Telecommunications' (Singtel) subsidiaries have secured close to $3 billion in bank credit facilities, it said on Friday.
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.
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.
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.
Sweden's AB Volvo reported a smaller-than-expected fall in quarterly operating earnings on Thursday as service sales held up in the face of tumbling sales and orders of its trucks as demand evaporated in the face of the coronavirus.
Oil surged on Thursday amid signs that producers are cutting production to weather a collapse in demand as the coronavirus outbreak ravages world economies, while the U.S. state of Oklahoma also moved to help oil firms pump less.
South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co said on Thursday first-quarter net profit slumped 44% to its lowest level for the quarter in a decade, as the coronavirus hit demand in China and due to losses at its financial business.
Aston Martin said on Thursday it plans to restart its St Athan factory in south Wales on May 5 and will also resume operations at Gaydon later, after the coronavirus-led shutdowns forced the luxury car maker to suspend production at both sites.