Microsoft Corp posted results on Tuesday that showed some strength in the face of a weak economy, buttressed by a cloud business that hit Wall Street targets for the end of 2022, but it may miss expectations in the current quarter.

Technological advancements are changing the way we work and the types of jobs available in the future. Some jobs may be eliminated, while others will be enhanced by the use of AI and machine learning.

Google's parent company Alphabet announced about 12,000 job cuts globally on Friday citing a changing "economic reality", becoming the latest US tech giant to enact large-scale restructuring.

Stock markets mostly slid and other major assets including the dollar and oil weakened Thursday after disappointing US data renewed worries about possible global recession this year.

Australia employment unexpectedly dipped in December following an outsized gain the month before in a sign the red-hot labour market might be cooling, though the jobless rate stayed near five-decade lows.

British inflation eased last month after hitting a 41-year high in October, offering some comfort to the Bank of England, but the pressure on households remained intense as food and drink prices rose at the fastest pace since 1977.

The EU on Monday said it would take "decisive steps" to protect Europe in the face of massive US subsidies that have left the bloc scrambling to find a way to keep businesses on the continent.

Britain's financial services minister sought to reassure U.S. counterparts on Wednesday that the UK's bout of debt market instability last fall was a one-time event

Britain's hopes of becoming a prime launch site for small satellites remain intact despite the failure of what would have been the first launch into orbit from western Europe, business minister Grant Shapps said on Tuesday.

Major stock markets mostly climbed Monday and oil prices rallied, building on optimism generated by China's Covid reopening and hopes the Federal Reserve will slow its pace of interest rate hikes.

North American leaders aim to give new impetus to strengthening economic ties at a meeting this week, even as a major dispute grinds on over Mexico's energy policies which has distracted from cooperation on other issues like immigration.

Global equities traded sideways and the dollar bounced as investors braced for a crucial U.S.

President Joe Biden said on Thursday the U.S. economy was seeing "really bright spots" after a rough few years, and was headed to a "new plateau," a new term for the stable, slower growth White House officials see ahead.

The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits dropped to a three-month low last week while layoffs fell 43% in December, pointing to a still-tight labor market that could force the Federal Reserve to keep hiking interest rates.

2023 is shaping up as a challenging year to be a woman or minority working in the tech sector, or even a person with one too many years under their belt.

Wall Street was set to tap the brakes on Thursday as upbeat jobs data after a firm message from the Fed that it won't be cutting interest rates any time soon offset China's latest reopening plans.

European and Asian shares rose on Wednesday thanks to positive news about inflation and China's strict anti-COVID measures, while the dollar backpedalled as investors await minutes from the Federal Reserve's most recent meeting.

Apple Inc's stock market value shrank sharply on Tuesday following its steep drop last year, leaving it below $2 trillion for the first time since March 2021.

The euro nursed losses on Wednesday and has helped the dollar to make a strong start to 2023, after a surprise slowdown in German inflation rallied bunds and sent the common currency sliding.

For much of the global economy, 2023 is going to be a tough year as the main engines of global growth - the United States, Europe and China - all experience weakening activity, the head of the International Monetary Fund said on Sunday.

With foreign workers making up the vast bulk of private sector jobs in the United Arab Emirates, the Gulf's second-largest economy wants to boost opportunities for its own citizens.

Meta Platforms Inc boss Mark Zuckerberg defended his acquisition of a virtual reality fitness app to an antitrust judge on Tuesday, arguing that his company was helping to build a nascent virtual reality industry, not dominate it.

The World Bank's private investment arm on Thursday said it had launched a $2 billion support package for Ukraine to help build the resilience of the Ukrainian private sector devastated by Russia's war and to prepare for reconstruction.

Britain's jobless rate rose for a second month and there were other signs in data on Tuesday that some of the inflationary heat in the labour market is cooling as the economy stumbles, including an increase in older people looking for work.

EU countries have poured criticism on the IRA, seeing it as a threat to European jobs, especially in the energy and auto sectors.

President Joe Biden said Thursday US support for green industry was not intended to be at Europe's expense as he and French leader Emmanuel Macron pledged to surmount a serious transatlantic trade dispute.

HSBC is closing a quarter of its branches across the United Kingdom from April 2023 after the bank failed to recover customer loss since the pandemic.

The European Commission on Tuesday updated drone rules in a bid to boost a fast-growing commercial market while measures to tackle the malicious use of drones will be adopted in the near future.

Cryptocurrency lender BlockFi has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, it said on Monday, the latest crypto casualty after the firm was hurt by exposure to the spectacular collapse of the FTX exchange earlier this month.

Credit Suisse predicted a surprise fourth-quarter pre-tax loss of up to $1.6 billion as the beleaguered bank undertakes a radical overhaul, sending stocks tumbling again on Wednesday.