Eli Lilly and Co said on Thursday its new two-in-one diabetes drug was successful in lowering blood sugar and reducing weight, sending its shares to a record high and weighing on those of arch-rival Novo Nordisk .

For decades, many Latin America's oil-producing nations have often shunned investment from foreign firms, instead keeping their vast reserves under the tight control of governments and state-run oil companies.

Latin America this year will host the most licensing rounds in its history, opening about 1,100 oil and gas blocks for foreign capital.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq advanced to record levels on Friday, buoyed by gains in technology stocks, while each of the major indexes closed out the quarter with solid gains.

Ford Motor Co said Friday it would invest $350 million to upgrade its Livonia transmission plant in Michigan as the company expands its lineup of powertrains.

Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank President Loretta Mester on Thursday repeated her call for further U.S.-interest rate hikes now that the economy has reached full employment and inflation is nearing the Fed's 2-percent goal.

Major U.S. stock indexes gained on Friday, with the S&P 500 ending at a record high close, as energy stocks bounced back along with oil prices and U.S. job growth rebounded.

Viacom Inc , the owner of MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon, reported second-quarter profit that beat estimates on Thursday, but worry that it will lose revenue from a big cable distributor weighed on its stock.

Chinese real estate and entertainment conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group has held talks with Viacom Inc about acquiring a minority stake in its Paramount Pictures unit, according to two people familiar with the situation.

(This article was produced independently of Reuters News. It was created by the public relations department of Thomson Reuters Intellectual Property & Science division, and Reuters Brand Content Solutions.)