10 things you need to know before European markets open
Oil is above $50. Brent crude oil prices dipped in early Asian trading hours on Friday, but remained near two-month highs with Brent still holding above $50 per barrel in a bull-run that has lifted the market by over 20% since early August.
Uber is going driverless. Sweden-based manufacturer Volvo Cars said on Thursday it would team up with ride-sharing service Uber in a $300 million (€265 million) joint venture to develop driverless automobiles.
An ex-Deutsche Bank whistleblower refused to take $8.25 million. A whistleblower who helped reveal false accounting at Deutsche Bank has refused an $8.25 million award from a U.S. securities regulator because of the agency's failure to punish bank executives.
The UK is getting more fin tech. US mobile payments company Square posted three new job openings in Europe on Thursday, signaling it is moving closer to ramping up operations in the region through an initial venture in Britain.
The US economy is doing well. US weekly unemployment claims fell again in the second week of August, continuing their recent streak, according to the Labor Department.
Green bonds are coming to oil-rich nations. National Bank of Abu Dhabi plans to start an investor roadshow next week to issue a benchmark-sized green bond, the proceeds of which would be used to invest in renewable energy.
The US central bank is moving with the times. The Federal Reserve said it was launching a Facebook page on Thursday, part of an effort to reach out directly to a general public.
India's farm land is disappearing. More than a quarter of India's land is turning to desert and the rate of degradation of agricultural areas is increasing, according to new analysis of satellite images.
There's another Italian banking scandal. The chief executive of Monte dei Paschi di Siena , Fabrizio Viola, and the Italian bank's former chairman, Alessandro Profumo, are under investigation for alleged false accounting and market manipulation.
Amazon is opening more UK centres. Online retailer Amazon said it would create 1,500 new jobs in 2017 when it opens a new distribution center in Tilbury, south east England, maintaining its surge of investment in Britain.