China said it plans to continue buying European sovereign debt, but urged further measures be taken to prevent a worsening of the debt crisis, according to newswires reports Thursday.

Costco Wholesale Corp., the Issaquah, Wash., warehouse retailer, reported that for August, comparable-store sales rose 6% as total sales advanced 8% to $7.4 billion from $6.85 billion in the year-earlier month.

Gold futures for December delivery fell $2.20 to $1,661 an ounce in European trading hours on Thursday, after closing lower a day earlier.

Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (FMG.AU) is in talks with possible strategic partners for its North Star magnetite project in Western Australia's Pilbara region, its chief executive said Thursday, as he reiterated the world's fourth largest iron ore miner is open to selling stakes in its future growth

Barclays PLC (BCS) on Thursday appointed Antony Jenkins as chief executive with immediate effect, replacing Bob Diamond, and plugging a gap in leadership atop the embattled U.K. bank.

WPP PLC (WPP.LN), the world's biggest advertising company, Thursday cut its revenue forecast for 2012 complaining of slowing revenue growth in the U.S. and parts of Europe, as it reported mixed first-half results.

China will continue to invest in European government debt, though on the condition of a full evaluation of risk, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Thursday.

Spanish consumer prices rose 2.7% on an annual basis in August, sharply higher than the 2.2% rise in prices in July, according to preliminary data from the Institute of National Statistics.

European stock markets opened lower on Thursday, tracking losses on Asian bourses, as investors got jittery a day ahead of a much anticipated speech from U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.

Russian natural-gas export monopoly OAO Gazprom (GAZP.RS) said Thursday that it has resumed fuel delivery through the Yamal-Europe pipeline after two days of it being shut down for repairs in Russia and Poland.