Luxury brands including Hermès and Cartier are seeing weaker demand in China as even affluent shoppers reduce high-end spending, extending a broader slowdown.

Berkshire Hathaway shares have climbed to an all-time high, erasing all the ground lost after Warren Buffett's surprise 2025 announcement that he would step down as chief executive. The recovery took almost 18 months and marks the stock's strongest run since the leadership transition began.

Apple shares are trading near record highs and closing in on Nvidia's market capitalization, putting the iPhone maker on track to reclaim the title of world's most valuable company. Upcoming quarterly earnings could be the catalyst that pushes Apple's valuation past its AI-chip rival.

New Zealand automation firm Scott Technology lifted revenue 7 percent to post a record annual result.

Brazilian lender Bradesco posted a third-quarter net profit of 7.1 billion reais, about $1.4 billion, up 14.6% from a year earlier and roughly in line with analyst forecasts. Loans overdue more than 90 days climbed to 4.6% of the bank's portfolio.

Meta Platforms shares fell 6% after third-quarter spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure pushed the company's free cash flow negative for the first time in years. Prices for Meta's five-year credit default swaps climbed to record highs as investors signaled growing concern over the company's debt risk.

Reliance Jio Platforms, the telecoms and technology arm of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani's conglomerate, opened India's largest-ever initial public offering on Wednesday, seeking $3.2 billion from investors. The listing is the second mega IPO to reach Indian markets within a month, arriving despite subdued broader equity trading.

SpaceX shares jumped after demand for its computing power exceeded expectations, lifting the broader artificial-intelligence stock group along with it. Elon Musk also hinted at a possible tie-up with Tesla in the same update.