Revenue rose 7.2% from a year earlier, the slowest in five quarters, shows an analysis of the numbers from 175 companies that have reported results for the fiscal second quarter. Net profit growth at 2.5% was a six-quarter low, even as the operating margin of the sample group fell 1.5 percentage point to 20.9%.
European shares close at record high driven by defence stocks
European stocks hit a record high Friday, buoyed by defence and insurance sectors, ending the year on an optimistic note. The STOXX 600 index saw