TOTAL NAMES POUYANNÉ CEO

Total's board named refining and chemicals head Patrick Pouyanné as its new CEO, installing a company veteran. Move follows the death of Chairman and CEO Christophe de Margerie in a Moscow plane crash Monday.

J&J TO TEST NEW EBOLA VACCINE ON HUMANS

Johnson & Johnson said it will begin testing an Ebola-virus vaccine on humans in January and could have 250,000 doses available in May.

ABB NET PROFIT SLUMPS

ABB, the world's largest maker of power grids, said third-quarter profit fell by 12% as a slowdown in its big transmission power business continued to bite.

HEINEKEN PROFIT FALLS

Heineken said third quarter profit fell 4.8%, with lower sales in Europe offset by growth in emerging markets.

PEUGEOT REVENUE RISES

French car maker Peugeot Citroen said revenue rose in the third quarter, lifted by strong growth in Europe and China.

LUFTHANSA CLOSE TO SELLING IT UNIT TO IBM

Deutsche Lufthansa is close to selling its IT Infrastructure division to IBM and outsourcing its IT services to the technology company as part of a broader restructuring of its systems unit.

U.K. REGULATOR SAYS HSBC BREACHED SME LOAN RULES

HSBC was criticized by the U.K.'s antitrust regulator for breaching its rules by forcing small and medium-size businesses to open business accounts to get a loan.

EMIRATES NBD'S PROFIT DOUBLES

Emirates NBD, Dubai's biggest bank by assets, Wednesday said third-quarter net profit doubled year-over-year as a rapid recovery in the local market led to a rise in operating income and a fall in impairments.

TAKATA SHARES PLUNGE ON U.S. AIR BAG WARNING

Several big auto makers said it was unclear when suspect air bag parts tied to at least two deaths in the U.S. would be replaced--due either to a lack of parts or from owners failing to have repairs made.

SONY MAY CUT SMARTPHONE SALES TARGET AGAIN

Sony is considering slashing its smartphone sales target again, people familiar with the matter said Wednesday, as the business struggles to perform as expected in the face of fierce competition especially in emerging markets.

BHP BILLITON LOGS HIGHER 1ST QUARTER IRON-ORE OUTPUT

BHP Billiton said it boosted iron-ore production in its fiscal first quarter, as the world's No. 1 mining company drove its operations harder in the face of falling commodity prices.

NORSK HYDRO NET PROFIT UP ON HIGHER PRICES

Norwegian aluminum producer Norsk Hydro more than doubled its third-quarter net profit amid higher prices, but missed analysts' expectations.

YARA TO EXPAND NORWAY CAPACITY

Norwegian fertilizer producer Yara is set to invest $342.8 million to boost production capacity at a plant in Norway as it reported a rise in net profit of 9% on the year.

HANDELSBANKEN 3RD QUARTER NET PROFIT RISES

Svenska Handelsbanken Wednesday posted an 8% rise in third quarter net profit, boosted by gains in both net interest and net fee and commission income.

BGC TO LAUNCH TENDER OFFER FOR RIVAL

BGC Partners plans to make a hostile bid to buy rival GFI Group for $675 million, according to people familiar with the matter, after an effort to strike a friendly deal between the interdealer brokers foundered.