Europe Top News and Analysis

The downturn across euro zone businesses eased slightly this month, although a dearth of new orders means the bloc's economy is likely to contract again in the second quarter, business surveys showed on Thursday.

A plunge in Japan's small cap index should have prepared investors for the Nikkei's biggest slide since the country's tsunami over two years ago, an asset manager told CNBC.

From this week's disastrous tornadoes in Oklahoma to Hurricane Sandy, big data analysis is battling extreme weather—and aiming to outwit the chaos of Mother Nature.

Japan is in the middle of a "big monetary experiment," from which market volatility should be expected, Ben Broadbent, a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, told CNBC.

An international study on recessions and governments' responses to them has found that cuts to healthcare systems prompted by fiscal austerity are making matters far worse - for both governments and society.

Following a spate of high-profile security breaches, Twitter has introduced a two-step login and cleared the way for tougher security measures in the future.

Japanese stocks plunged 9 percent off intraday highs on Thursday as weak Chinese data added to growing fears that the U.S. Federal Reserve may withdraw its bond buying sooner than expected.

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde has arrived at a French court where she is due to be questioned over her involvement in an arbitration payment made to a billionaire.

The economist who coined the term "Grexit" says the possibility of Greece exiting the euro zone has receded "markedly", reversing predictions he made in July when he saw a 90 percent chance of an exit within the next 12-18 months.

European parliament president Martin Schulz gave European Union officials a measly three out of ten for their handling of the euro zone crisis.

The ECB recently set up a task force with the European Investment Bank to assess ways to unblock lending to small- and medium-sized businesses, including promoting a market for ABS based on loans for smaller firms.

The world's biggest investors are seeking more stable cash income at home, as aging societies and tighter regulation dull risk appetite.

'A number of participants' on the FOMC this month favored slowing the Fed's efforts to maintain record-low long-term interest rates as early as summer.

A growing number of companies are offering "yacht shipping" services, where yachts are loaded and carried on giant cargo ships to distant locations.

Survey after survey shows that the wealthy are back to pre-crisis boom years when it comes to their outlook for their own finances, their investments and their retirements. But many of them are still sitting on lots of cash.