Corporate results:

Anheuser-Busch Inbev: Ebitda is expected to grow 4-8% this year, where the market expects 7.5%. Evonik: expects earnings to decline in 2023. Haleon: expects revenue growth of 4 to 6% in 2023. Merck KGaA: The lab expects earnings to decline in 2023 due to lower covid-related demand. Salesforce: The stock soared 16% in the after-hours after the release of its better-than-expected quarterly results. Macy’s reported better-than-expected results for the holiday quarter on Thursday and expects full-year profit to be well above estimates. The retail chain said it is looking to cut back on promotions to protect its margins, sending the stock up 13% in pre-market trading. Best Buy was cautious Thursday about its annual profit, with uncertainty about the outlook for the U.S. economy tempering expectations for a recovery in demand for discretionary goods. 

In other news:

HSBC is looking to sell its Russian unit. U.S. President Joe Biden said Wednesday that other pharmaceutical companies will have to lower their insulin prices after Eli Lilly's decision to cut prices starting in the fourth quarter. Microsoft has reached an agreement with Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Africa's largest independent fiber network, to expand Internet access on the continent by 2025, said Brad Smith, president of the U.S. giant. RWE completes the acquisition of Consolidated Edison 's clean energy business for $6.8 billion. Tesla unveils its vision for sustainable energy, but no new products, causing the stock to falter post-close on Wall Street. M&G Plc is reportedly being courted by Australia's Macquarie Group for a potential P5 billion offer, according to Sky News. Silvergate Capital did not file its quarterly report, the company is in trouble. EQT and PSP will buy Radius Global at $15 per share. AMS-OSRAM closes sale of Clay Paky entertainment lighting unit. Mutares closes acquisition of Magna plant in Blanquefort. Activist fund Elliott Management also proposed a slate of directors for the cloud-based software company's board. SGS sells vehicle inspection business. GSK wins U.S. FDA panel approval for RSV vaccine in the elderly. Netflix - The group's video streaming services were down Thursday for thousands of users, according to the Downdetector app, which provides real-time availability tracking for hundreds of services, including outages. Main earnings reports today: Broadcom, Costco, Merck KGaA, Fast Retailing, London Stock Exchange, VMware, Universal Music Group, Hapag-Lloyd, Veolia, ArgenX...