Italy must improve its capital markets to help underperforming companies access funding for investment and growth, while giving investors means for more diversified savings portfolios, the OECD said on Friday.

In a review of the capital markets of the eurozone's third-largest economy, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said Italian companies were deprived of needed funding for long-term projects and planning, and would not be able to grow to fend off global competition without stronger capital markets. 

As Syrians feel the sting of a nosediving currency, local businesses have launched a campaign to sell goods symbolically priced at a single pound to counter a deepening economic crisis.

Britain's economy, lifted by the country's post-election political stability, risks fresh turbulence as Prime Minister Boris Johnson seeks tricky Brexit trade deals amid global threats that include the coronavirus.

Asian markets fell Thursday with investors concerned about the economic impact from the spread of the new coronavirus as China reported more than 1,700 new infections.

Cinemas empty, high-speed train trips cancelled, tourist sites closed, an entire province shut down: The extraordinary measures taken by China to contain a deadly coronavirus threaten to dent an already fragile economy.

Swedish furniture giant Ikea said Wednesday it had temporarily closed half of its 30 stores in mainland China until further notice amid concerns over the deadly new coronavirus.

U.S. stocks continued to march higher at the open Wednesday, as positive news from major companies outweighed concerns about the spreading virus in China.

Boeing CEO David Calhoun said on Wednesday he was "confident" China could contain a viral outbreak that has prompted airlines to cancel flights and governments to warn against travel to the country.

British telecoms group Vodafone said  Wednesday it had agreed to sell its majority stake in its Egyptian unit to Saudi Telecom Company for $2.4 billion (2.2 billion euros).

French auto giant Renault on Tuesday named former VW director Luca de Meo its chief executive as it seeks to regain its footing after a year of turmoil sparked by the arrest of Carlos Ghosn.

Renault's board decided the 52-year-old Italian will take up his new post on July 1, the company said in a statement.