More than 130 businesses have signed a letter saying the business case for Scottish independence "has not been made".
HSBC has vowed to fight a $250m (£151m) lawsuit brought against it over its alleged involvement in the Keydata scandal.
The FTSE 100 has moved back above the 6,800 mark for the first time this month as investors take heart from another record high for the S&P 500 yesterday.
The Bank of England will hold off on hiking rates for six months if it does not act by November, leaving a "clear run" for investors until the general election, Richard Buxton has predicted.
The S&P 500 briefly crossed the 2,000 threshold on Monday after US Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen signalled she will hold back on any aggressive move on interest rates.
The team running J.P. Morgan Asset Management's natural resources fund has said the gold price is unlikely to surge ahead from current levels, as US monetary policy and a strengthening dollar continue to weigh on sentiment.
US markets continued to edge higher on Wednesday, despite the Federal Reserve's latest minutes suggesting an interest rate hike may come sooner than expected.
Global investors have been snapping up cheap Chinese stocks as signs of a banking collapse recede, but economic data remains mixed.
Two members of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee voted for a 25bps rate hike this month, latest minutes show - the first call for hikes in over three years.
UK consumer price inflation assumed its downwards trajectory once more in July following a sharp spike the previous month.