The S&P 500 Friday closed above 1,900 for the first time as a positive report on new-home sales helped to push U.S. stocks broadly higher.

The S&P 500 advanced 8.04 points (0.42 percent) to 1,900.53, besting by more than three points the index's record close earlier this month.

A poor read on the IFO business climate index for Germany for May sent the euro tumbling Friday to its lowest level against the US dollar in three months.

The index dropped back to 110.4 from 111.2, after a gain the previous month, underscoring continuing concerns about the strength of German and European growth.

French economist Thomas Piketty's best-selling book on income inequality is flawed by errors in his data, the Financial Times newspaper said Saturday.

An investigation by the British broadsheet found there was little evidence in the 43-year-old's original sources to underpin his argument that an increasing share of total wealth is in the hands of the richest.

Turkey has begun exporting oil supplies from Iraqi Kurdistan to international markets, its energy minister said on Friday.

"The oil shipment started at 10 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) yesterday from the Ceyhan port" in southern Turkey, Taner Yildiz told reporters on Friday.

President Barack Obama vowed Thursday to cut long and frustrating lines at customs for foreigners arriving at U.S. airports in a bid to lure 100 million tourists a year by 2020.

Obama promised to maintain national security but ease the entry of travelers as he launched a new tourism push designed to create more American jobs.

The euro fell against the dollar Thursday, under pressure from a slight downturn in a key eurozone gauge of business activity.

Markit Economics's May composite purchasing managers index (PMI) for the single currency area fell to 53.9 points from 54 in April, a slight pullback in the pace of expansion. 

Toyota on Friday said it is recalling about 520,000 vehicles, mostly in North America, over several issues including cable corrosion that could see unused spare tyres fall off. 

The world's biggest automaker made the announcement just days after U.S. rival General Motors said it was recalling 2.4 million more vehicles in the United States.

Fitch ratings agency on Friday upgraded Greece's credit rating to "B" from "B-", forecasting the economy will return to growth this year for the first time since 2008.

The decision to upgrade reflects the efforts made by the government to tackle its budget deficit, the agency said in a statement.

Russian energy giant Gazprom is eyeing a secondary listing on the Singapore Exchange, a spokesman said Thursday, as the firm moves to play a more active role in Asia.

Analysts say listing in Singapore could be part of a "strategic shift" towards the region, as the Ukraine crisis threatens Russian energy exports to Europe and as Western sanctions bite.

Credit Suisse is under investigation in the United States to determine if it allowed traders use its network for improper transactions, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Wall Street's self-regulator, is looking into the activities of several traders who may have used sophisticated computer programs improperly, for example to manipulate the market by duping other investors in making trades, the paper said.