Oil prices were mixed on Wednesday as worries about the coronavirus outbreak and swelling U.S. crude inventories weighed on prices, counter-balanced by talk that OPEC could extend oil output cuts.
Global equity markets edged higher on Wednesday on strong results from Apple and others but concerns about the coronavirus outbreak in China kept a safe-haven bid in gold and the dollar alive.
British Airways has suspended all direct flights to and from mainland China, one of the biggest names in aviation to do so, as worries grow about the impact of the spreading coronavirus on global travel.
U.S. grains trader Archer Daniels Midland Co on Wednesday reported a 60% rise in quarterly profit from last year which included a bigger asset impairment and restructuring charge.
Oreo cookie maker Mondelez International Inc on Wednesday beat quarterly revenue estimates on higher demand for its snacks in emerging markets, sending shares up 3%.
The S&P 500 ended slightly lower on Wednesday, as an initial boost from the likes of Apple, Boeing and General Electric following their quarterly results faded in the wake of a policy announcement from the Federal Reserve.
Microsoft Corp beat analysts' estimates for quarterly revenue on Wednesday, driven by strength in its cloud computing platform Azure, sending its shares up 2%.
Facebook Inc beat analysts' estimates for daily active users on Wednesday, but shares fell as operating margins dropped for the world's largest social network after it ramped up spending to improve content and security across its platforms.
The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Wednesday at its first policy meeting of the year, with the head of the U.S. central bank pointing to continued moderate economic growth and a "strong" job market, and giving no sign of any imminent changes in borrowing costs.
Tesla Inc posted fourth-quarter revenue above analysts' estimates on Wednesday as the electric carmaker beat Wall Street estimates for vehicle deliveries.
Tesla Inc investors compiled a list of questions to the company ahead of the electric carmaker's quarterly earnings report on Wednesday, ranging from requests for updates on the company's insurance policy to complaints about questions asked by analysts.
Berkshire Hathaway is selling 31 newspapers, as Warren Buffett backs away from the industry.
PayPal Holdings Inc reported a 13% fall in fourth-quarter profit on Wednesday, as it spent more on acquisitions and technology.
United Parcel Service Inc on Wednesday said it is ordering 10,000 electric delivery trucks from the UK-based Arrival Ltd and teaming with self-driving startup Waymo as package carriers work to cut costs and tail pipe pollution.
Alphabet Inc's Google said on Wednesday it is temporarily shutting down all its offices in China due to the outbreak of a new coronavirus in the country.