Strong demand helped Diamond producer De Beers post a 10% rise in rough diamond sales for the first half. Gareth Penny, managing director of De Beers, spoke to CNBC about the results.

Mergers and acquisitions between US and European companies have become more common place. Claire Gruppo, co-founder of Gruppo Levey & Co., spoke to CNBC about recent M&A activity.

The Bank of England voted 7 out of 9 in favor of keeping interest rates on hold at 5% in July, meeting minutes revealed Wednesday. George Buckley from Deutsche Bank has analysis.

The European Central Bank is not neutral on its monetary policy as many investors think, and they could raise rates from here, Jason Forde from Kepler Landsbanki told CNBC Wednesday.

Shares of European auto-makers were higher Wednesday as Volkswagen, PSA Peugeot Citroen and Fiat reported strong figures. Howard Wheeldon from BGC Partners has analysis.

ST Microelectronics narrowed its second-quarter loss, but continues to suffer from the weak dollar. CEO Carlo Bozotti spoke to CNBC about the results Wednesday.