CNBC

The euro zone economy saw zero growth in the fourth quarter, flash figures published by the European Union's statistics agency Eurostat showed Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had expected growth of 0.1% over the period, following a larger-than-expected 0.4% expansion in the third quarter. The bloc-wide data comes after worse-than-expected growth prints from the euro zone's two largest economies, Germany and France. Earlier on Thursday, official data showed that Germany's gross domestic product fell 0.2% in the fourth quarter, while France's economy also shrank slightly over the same period. Italy's economy also flatlined quarter-on-quarter, data showed earlier Thursday.

Sardinia has white beaches, turquoise sea and plenty of watersports, rather like the Maldives. And it's possible to travel inexpensively there too.

H&M on Thursday reported a slightly better-than-expected uptick in operating profit, although sales missed forecasts in the fourth quarter. The Swedish fashion giant posted operating profit of 17.3 billion Swedish krona ($1.57 billion) for 2024, versus the 17.2 billion Swedish krona forecast by analysts in an LSEG poll. Fourth-quarter operating profit came in at 4.6 billion Swedish krona versus the 4.2 billion Swedish krona analysts had predicted.

British oil giant Shell on Thursday reported a significant drop in annual profit, citing higher exploration write-offs, lower trading margins and weaker crude prices over the final three months of the year. Shell posted adjusted earnings of $23.72 billion for the full-year 2024, compared to annual profit of $28.25 billion a year earlier. Analysts had expected Shell's full-year 2024 net profit to come in at $24.71 billion, according to an LSEG-compiled consensus.

France's economy shrank slightly in the fourth quarter, flash data showed Thursday, highlighting the urgent need for warring French lawmakers to overcome their differences and agree on a 2025 budget. The economy recorded a 0.1% contraction in the fourth quarter on the previous three months, the country's statistics agency INSEE revealed Thursday, down from growth of 0.4% in the third quarter of 2024. Economists polled by Reuters had expected growth to be flat. France's beleaguered economy was given a boost by the Olympic Games in Paris last summer, but political upheaval has ensued since then, leaving fiscal challenges — namely, France's big budget deficit and growing debt pile — unresolved.

The classic notion of retirement is incomplete. Americans should think about "longevity," which includes ice cream, lunch and light bulbs, one expert said.

Deciding whether to rent or buy has never been simple, and this housing market isn’t making it any easier. Here's how to determine what makes sense for you.

Tesla's bitcoin holdings led to a big pop in reported net income for the fourth quarter because of a new rule change in how companies account for digital assets. After showing a carrying value of $184 million in digital assets for the prior four quarters, the number suddenly jumped to $1.08 billion in the December period, Tesla reported in its earnings release on Wednesday. The increase followed a recent policy change from the Financial Accounting Standards Board, which mandates that corporate digital asset holdings be marked to market each quarter starting at the beginning of 2025. Before the FASB rule change, companies owning bitcoin had to report their holdings at the lowest value recorded during their ownership, regardless of any subsequent price gain.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a midair collision of an American Airlines regional jet with a helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside Washington, D.C. The PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jetliner collided with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while the passenger jet was on approach to Runway 33 at the airport, the FAA said. Flight 5342 was arriving from Wichita, Kansas.

SoftBank is in talks to invest up to $25 billion in OpenAI, which would make it the startup's top backer, CNBC has confirmed. The deal has not been finalized yet, according to a person with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be named because the negotiations are confidential. The FT was first to report on SoftBank's potential investment. In November, OpenAI allowed employees to sell about $1.5 billion worth of shares in a tender offer to SoftBank, people familiar with the matter told CNBC at the time. One source said that SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son was persistent in asking for a larger stake in the startup after putting $500 million into OpenAI's last funding round.