Equities

The Royal Bank of Scotland said today its costs would be "significantly" impacted if an upcoming vote on Scottish independence sees the region break away from the rest of the UK.

The new JPX-Nikkei 400 index launched in January as part of a package of measures aimed at increasing the value of Japanese financial assets. But can it help maintain the revival in the region? Annabelle Williams reports.

A recent spate of share buybacks among companies jostling to prove they can reward shareholders shows Japanese companies are finally ready to be shareholder-friendly, explains GAM Japan manager Ben Williams.

Following a bumper season for special dividends, capex growth has picked up substantially. The era of special dividends could be drawing to a close, explains AXA IM's Jamie Forbes-Wilson.

Giles Hargreave has relinquished his role as CEO of Hargreave Hale in order to focus on running his funds, with the group promoting two of its directors to jointly head the business.

Asia's growing consumer base will be a force to be reckoned with. Yuming Pan from Allianz GI lays out the statistics that show just how big the investment opportunities will be.

Rising labour costs in China means manufacturers have been turning to robotics to save costs. Now, a robotics revolution is underway, driven by smart materials and more sophisticated design. Pieter Busscher from RobecoSAM explains the dynamics.

Gemma Game, manager of the £380m AXA Framlington Health fund, has resigned from the group, Investment Week can reveal.

Jupiter has reported an 18% fall in its profits in the first half of 2014, with the sale of its private client business increasing costs but also boosting dividend prospects.

Barclays said today its underlying profits for the first half of the year had fallen 7% after a drop in investment bank revenue, while it also reported another huge bill to compensate PPI customers.