Allianz Global Investors has announced plans to make its Income and Growth fund available to UK investors through the launch of a sterling hedged share class at the end of the first quarter.

The Nasdaq reached an 11-year high last week as investors piled into US equities, but Jim Rogers has cautioned on the prospects for the asset class.

Pfizer deal becomes third largest

Stephen Hester, chief executive of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), has revealed restructuring costs for the bank have so far totalled £38bn.

GlaxoSmithKline, the UK's dominant drugs company, has reported a decline in fourth quarter sales and announced a share buyback programme well below analysts' expectations.

Newton's Tineke Frikkee is taking a more cautious view than consensus on UK dividends in 2012, forecasting growth of around 8% for the year.

Legg Mason's global bond portfolio manager, Jack McIntyre, has exited his Canadian and Chinese positions and upped exposure to Mexico as part of a move to higher yielding countries.

The FTSE 100 will break the 6,100 barrier in the coming months as momentum in equity markets picks up, said Julian Chillingworth, manager of the £60m Rathbone Blue Chip Income & Growth fund.

Swiss banking giant UBS has seen its profits plunge 76% in the last quarter of 2011 as its investment banking arm turns loss-making.

Mining company Xstrata has formally announced its intention to merge with Glencore, the world's largest commodities trader, creating a commodities 'powerhouse'.