Microsoft warned that it won’t be able to meet its sales targets due to the coronavirus outbreak. In Asia, the production lines have slowed down considerably. If the situation seems to be gradually returning to normal in the world's factory that is China, the delay cannot be compensated, it said.

Results overview: Best Buy announced a turnover and a profit higher than expected thanks to the dynamism of online sales, while J.C Penney announced smaller-than-expected decline in sales in the fourth quarter. Marriott International saw its quarterly profit fall by 12% due to rising costs. Booking announced a wider than usual range of quarterly forecasts, citing an uncertain environment due to the coronavirus outbreak.

L Brands said it expects a loss in the first quarter, a week after announcing the sale of a major stake in the Victoria's Secret lingerie brand, whose difficulties resulted in a $725 million impairment charge in the fourth quarter.

Blackstone’s chief executive Stephen Schwarzman said his private equity fund could not buy Bloomberg if the provider of financial information and data was put up for sale. This is because the group own rival Refinitiv.

At a crossroads. According to information obtained by Bloomberg, Nokia is considering its future by exploring several options, including divestments or even a merger or combination, with the name Ericsson being mentioned. The Finn company is said to have hired consultants to help him in his approach. At this stage, and according to the established formula, there is no such thing as a "deal".