Shares in Catalan banks fell sharply on Friday, dragging the entire stock market with them, after Catalonia's regional parliament declared independence.

Britain's bailed-out Royal Bank of Scotland bounced back into the black in the third quarter on lower litigation and restructuring costs, it said Friday. 

French oil company Total said Friday its net profit jumped nearly 40 percent in the third quarter to $2.7 billion (2.3 billion euros) thanks to rising global oil prices and increased production.

The European Central Bank on Thursday said it would halve its massive bond-buying program from next year, a major policy shift that could herald the beginning of the end of the cheap money era.

Young Muslims worldwide are expected to almost double their spending on travel in the coming years, driving a boom in Islamic tourism that will make the sector worth $300 billion, a study said Thursday.

Halal travel has grown recently, with airports, restaurants and hotels seeking to provide Muslim-friendly facilities and services, such as prayer rooms and halal food outlets. 

Spain's jobless queue shortened once more in the third quarter, official figures showed Thursday, as seasonal work boomed during the country's thriving tourist summer.

Germany's biggest lender Deutsche Bank reported a third-quarter net profit more than double 2016's figure Thursday, as it continues to battle through restructuring and Europe-wide headwinds.

Britain's economy gently picked up speed in the third quarter, official data showed on Wednesday, strengthening expectations of an interest rate hike next month, despite uncertainty over Brexit. 

Gross domestic product grew by 0.4 percent in the period from July to September, after expanding by 0.3 percent in the preceding three months, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.

Coca-Cola reported a jump in third-quarter profits Wednesday due to lower expenses as it broadens offerings of non-cola drinks to offset sluggish demand for its namesake product in North America.

French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen said that revenues grew strongly in the third quarter, powered by the recent acquisition of Opel-Vauxhall, but car sales stalled in the key market of China.