Stocks

Spotify said it expected a further slight rise to between 85 million and 88 million premium subscribers in the current quarter.

Net income rose to about $1.50 billion, or $1.90 per share.

The No. 1 U.S. carrier by passenger traffic reported net income of $566 million.

Southwest Airlines overcame rising fuel prices to top profit expectations, though an inflight disaster in which a passenger was killed had an adverse effect on revenue.

The company, which dropped its pursuit of Twenty-First Century Fox Inc's entertainment assets last week after a bidding war with Walt Disney Co, is still competing against Fox to acquire European pay-TV company Sky PLC.

Asian shares are mostly lower after President Donald Trump agreed with the EU to hold off on new tariffs.

Thursday was the busiest day of 2Q earnings season.

Profit came in far below estimates.

Royal Dutch Shell says it plans to repurchase $25 billion of its stock over the next two years after announcing that second-quarter earnings rose 30 percent as energy prices surged.

A South Korean company is backing off its claim to have found a sunken Russian warship with an enormous cargo of gold.

Job cuts equal 22% of non-manufacturing workforce.

The founder and former CEO of Liberty Tax is resigning as the chairman of the company's board of directors.

___ Trump, European Union leaders pull back from trade war WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and European leaders pulled back from the brink of a trade war over autos Wednesday and agreed to open talks to resolve a dispute over steel and to tear down trade barriers between the United States and the European Union.

An escalating trade war and steep tariffs on steel and aluminum is putting pressure on earnings for automakers.

U.S. stock indexes edged mostly higher in early trading Wednesday following a mixed batch of quarterly earnings results from General Motors, Boeing, Coca-Cola and other companies.

Dinged by slumping China sales and a fire at a U.S. parts factory, Ford Motor Co.'s second-quarter net profit fell 48 percent from a year ago.

Stocks closed broadly higher Wednesday as a batch of solid company earnings and news that the U.S. and European Union agreed to work on mending their trade dispute put investors in a buying mood.

Facebook reports slower-than-expected revenue growth, shares tumble after hours as privacy issues weigh on the company.

The social media giant is on track to wipe out all of this year's gains and enter bear market territory.

The latest on developments in financial markets (all times local): 9:35 a.m.