G20 policymakers are agreed that it is too early to pull the plug on economic life-support packages as the global recovery is still fragile, said British finance minister Alistair Darling.

The European Central Bank kept its main refinancing rate unchanged at a record low of 1.0 percent on Thursday, as expected by economists.

Investors are braced for signs on Thursday that the European Central Bank will soon start weaning banks off cheap and abundant liquidity given that expiry dates are approaching for the central bank's crisis measures.

BNP Paribas, the eurozone's second-biggest bank by market capitalisation, posted a surge in third quarter profits on Thursday that beat market forecasts and trumped the results of many rival banks.

Joint ventures with a family business and a show-business icon are key in Diageo's vodka plans.

Europe's economy will rebound next year and accelerate in 2011, the  European Commission said, paving the way for major deficit cuts.

Swiss bank UBS does not expect a recovery of client inflows anytime soon as it continues to struggle to rebuild its reputation after a bitter U.S. tax row even as its underlying performance improves.

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The world will slump into a depression similar to that in the 1930s if stimulus measures are pulled out too soon, an economist warned. But investors have a chance to make good money in stock markets, a strategist said.

Erste Bank said the worst of the crisis may now be over for banks in emerging Europe, after it beat third-quarter earnings forecasts and launched a 1.65 billion euro ($2.4 billion) cash call.

The European Central Bank will start rolling back its liquidity lifeline to banks next year and very long-term operations could be among the first to go, ECB's Axel Weber said.

Royal Dutch Shell said third quarter net profit fell 73 percent, hit by falling oil and gas prices and refining margins, and Chief Executive Peter Voser warned of a slow recovery.

Shares in Dutch bancassurer ING Group fell for a second day on Tuesday, as analysts said a pending 7.5 billion euro rights issue was likely to result in a 50 percent dilution for current shareholders.

ECB Governing Council member Christian Noyer warned that banks are taking the same risks that led to the financial crisis.

It is unlikely that the euro zone would fall back into recession soon after exiting it, European Central Bank Governing Council member Axel Weber said on Thursday.