Equities

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will still be looking for coalition partners, despite being on course to celebrate the strongest election result since Helmut Kohl's post-reunification victory of 1990.

THE BIQ QUESTION

GERMAN ELECTION

Neptune's profits before tax fell nearly 40% in 2012, with assets under management down 7.5%, after what the group called an "extremely difficult year for equity investors".

J.P. Morgan Chase has been fined a total of £572m over the infamous 'London Whale' trades which lost it billions of dollars last year, with the FCA alone imposing a near record £138m fine on the bank.

The Federal Reserve has been accused of ‘making policy on the fly' after it opted not to taper its quantitative easing programme at its monthly meeting yesterday.

The US Federal Reserve surprised investors and sent shares soaring after it unexpectedly opted to hold back on any tapering of its stimulus last night.

The FTSE 100 will soar past its record high to reach 8,000 by the end of 2014, according to analysts at Citigroup.

Ardevora's Jeremy Lang, manager of the group's UK Income fund, remains nervous on banks but has renewed faith in opportunities in telecoms as the sector evolves.

Shares in Investec were down sharply today after the company said earnings could fall by as much as 10%, amid a tough time for its specialist banking arm in the UK.