The Swiss National Bank reported a first quarter loss of 32.8 billion Swiss francs ($33.75 billion), the central bank said on Thursday, as lower bond prices and the higher franc dented the value of its foreign currency investments.

French healthcare group Sanofi's first-quarter adjusted earnings gained 16.2% on sales growth of its bestselling drug Dupixent and a rebound in demand for prescription-free drugs.

LONDON (Reuters) -Unilever beat first-quarter sales forecasts as the maker of Dove soap and Ben & Jerry's ice cream hiked prices by more than 8% to offset higher supply chain and energy costs, more than outweighing a dip in sales volumes.

TOKYO (Reuters) -The Bank of Japan on Thursday doubled down on its commitment to maintain its massive stimulus programme and a pledge to keep interest rates ultra-low, triggering a fresh sell-off in the yen and sending government bonds rallying.

Mercedes-Benz will use embedded Faurecia-Aptoide technology to power navigation and other vehicle infotainment functions in a crucial win for the app provider against Alphabet Inc's Google and other technology firms to control car dashboards.

Gold prices fell to a 10-week low on Thursday, as an elevated U.S. dollar hurt demand for greenback-priced bullion, while an impending Federal Reserve interest rate hike also dented the metal's appeal as an inflation hedge.