The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned if the US Federal Reserve begins tapering monetary stimulus, the weakest eurozone countries could be pushed into a "debt-deflation spiral".

Iain Stewart, manager of the £7.9bn Newton Real Return fund, has added to his gold holdings in the belief the precious metal can still act as a hedging tool in investors' portfolios.

Apple shares rose by almost 5% in after-hours trading after its third quarter results beat analysts' expectations, boosted by strong iPhone sales.

Fund buyers have been turning to more niche bond funds in an effort to protect portfolios as the US central bank hints it will soon rein in its stimulus measures.

Morningstar has revealed the ten most popular exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the second quarter of 2013, based on the most searched for funds on its website.

Global markets have had a volatile relationship with the central banks this summer, as the US Federal Reserve began hinting at tapering its asset purchasing programme.

Allianz Global Investors has appointed Greg Saichin as head of global emerging market debt, following his resignation from Pioneer Investments on Friday.

UK dividend payments hit a new record high in Q2, with PLCs paying out a total of £25.3bn to investors, but slowing profit growth means full-year dividends are expected to drop year-on-year.

UK banks remain at risk of very serious problems, according to Charles MacKinnon, chief investment officer at Thurleigh Investment Managers.

Growing fears over the risk of a credit crunch in China are misplaced, according to EFG Asset Management's Mansfield Mok, with the government standing behind the banking sector and ready to boost liquidity if needed.