National Australia Bank is in talks with NBNK, the challenger bank run by former Northern Rock's former chief executive Gary Hoffman, over a merger of its UK operations as part of a bid for the 632 branches being sold by Lloyds Banking Group, plus other...

(Update) Shares in Hargreaves Lansdown jumped 15% in early trading after the company reported a significant jump in profits and hiked its dividend.

The FTSE opened more than 40 points lower on Friday as US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke gears up to deliver a key speech on the ailing US economy.

The immediate future of the UK economy will not be dependant on a further round of quantitative easing (QE), a member of the Bank of England's rate setting body said yesterday.

US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke is gearing up to deliver a key speech on the ailing US economy today - with markets looking on for hints of further stimulus.

Aegon today confirmed the sale of its UK-based life and pensions business Guardian to European private equity group Cinven, for a total cash consideration of £275m.

The UK shrugged off another brutal session in the US where the Dow Jones closed 520 points lower in overnight trading after climbing 2%.

Growth in the UK has deteriorated for the sixth consecutive month while the global recovery has peaked, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The FTSE 100 dipped below the 5,000 mark this morning after a short-lived rally at the start of trading.

The national newspapers spared front-page column inches to talk of a 'Credit Crunch 2' on Friday after a global sell-off wiped trillions off the value of equities worldwide.