10 things you need to know before European markets open
Oil fell. Crude prices edged lower on Thursday as brimming U.S. and Asian fuel inventories returned investors' attention to a large global supply overhang, cutting short a price rally and restricting Brent crude futures to below the $50 a barrel mark.
The Lloyds boss apologised. Antonio Horta-Osorio, CEO of Lloyds Bank, told staff of his regret for being the source of "adverse publicity" that could damage the bank's reputation, following media reports of his extra-marital affair.
Austria is re-running its presidential election. Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPO) kicked off its campaign for president on Wednesday with the slogan "Power needs control", seeking to get its candidate Norbert Hofer elected on a promise of toughness after concerns over Europe's migrant crisis.
Germany's right wing is growing. The three-year-old anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party has established a solid base among those Germans who demonstrate a political allegiance, a study showed, reinforcing expectations that the anti-immigration party will make a strong showing in state elections next month.
A Finnish tech company is doing well. Rovio Entertainment, the maker of mobile phone games and animations, turned a profit from the first half of the year and said it was planning a sequel to its Angry Birds Movie.
The US and Russia will meet. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke by telephone on Wednesday with US Secretary of State John Kerry and the two men will hold talks in Geneva on Friday, a Russian diplomat told Reuters.
Tech companies in the East are getting more valuable. Tencent and Samsung are racing to be crowned Asia's most valuable company as expectations for robust earnings growth push their share prices to record highs. Their surge - both have gained by a third this year - has made them the world's best performing large-cap tech stocks.
BuzzFeed is splitting. Online media outlet BuzzFeed will split itself into two new departments that will focus on news and entertainment, CEO Jonah Peretti wrote in a memo sent to employees.
Lamborghini is boosting production. Luxury automaker Lamborghini expects to at least double production to 7,000 vehicles a year by 2019 once it rolls out a new SUV, but it will not lose its focus on making sports cars, Chief Executive Officer Stefano Domenicali said.
Jawbone's action against Fitbit failed. Fitbit did not steal rival Jawbone's trade secrets, a US International Trade Commission judge ruled, dashing Jawbone's hopes of securing an import ban against Fitbit's wearable fitness tracking devices.