These include Apple, Amazon.com, Visa, Comcast, Amgen, McDonald's, Royal Dutch Shell, Total, Reckitt Benckiser, BASF, Orange, Swisscom, LafargeHolcim, Swiss Re, Kerry Group, Nokia, Carlsberg...

Facebook: the title gained 10% off the record after publishing stronger than expected results and reporting a stabilization of the advertising market.

Lloyds Banking Group: the UK bank took a £1.4bn provision in the first quarter, reducing its profits.

Microsoft: First quarter revenues were just over $35bn, up 15%, well ahead of expectations, driven by the effects of remote working. The share price was up.

Nokia: first quarter revenues, at €4.9bn, were below consensus. Underlying earnings are slightly better than expected.

Qualcomm: The stock was up after the close, following the publication of what were considered solid results, and despite the abandonment of annual targets.

BASF: the German group is abandoning its 2020 outlook.

Carlsberg: sales declined by 7% in the first quarter, as the increase in supermarket sales did not offset the closure of hotels, restaurants and bars. Management says it has seen signs of recovery in its main market, China, and in other countries.

Clariant: the chemical company suffered a 6% contraction in first-quarter sales in local currency and a 14% decline in EBITDA. Covid-19 will weigh on sales and results in 2020.

eBay: quarterly figures are better than expected, but the group is struggling to convince.

Reckitt Benckiser: First-quarter growth was twice as strong as expected, driven by a boom in detergent sales. The company is expected to outperform initial forecasts for 2020.

Royal Dutch Shell: The oil major reduced its quarterly dividend for the first time in 80 years.

Softbank: The annual loss for the year ending March 31 will be higher than expected.

Tesla: the carmaker posted profits for the third consecutive quarter.

In other news. Lyft is cutting 17% of its workforce. S&P downgrades Boeing's credit rating to "BBB-", the lowest in the investment category. Wirecard's chairman of the supervisory board, Thomas Eichelmann, supports CEO Markus Braun, criticized after his handling of the crisis of accounting confidence, he told the Handelsblatt. Proximus, Cegeka, Entropia, Telenet and Orange Belgium obtain a provisional 5G license from the Belgian regulator.