Economics

The rise in special dividends from groups including Vodafone has led to a record quarter for dividend payments, although dividend growth slowed excluding the telecom giant's bumper payout.

Standard Life Investments' head of global equities David Cumming has said the group has finally lost patience with banks over bonuses, prompting last week's shock decision to publicly oppose Barclays' remuneration plans.

Outsourcing group Quindell has initiated legal action after an attack by a short-seller sent its share price tumbling 39%.

London's Gherkin skyscraper has entered receivership after one of its owners filed for insolvency.

The FTSE 100 has risen 0.7% in early trading to touch its highest level in six weeks, driven by gains for pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and the mining sector.

Better-than-expected first quarter results from Apple and Facebook have pushed both stocks higher in after-hours US trading to help calm concerns over technology stocks' performance.

Vince Cable has attacked the salaries paid to the executives at the top of FTSE 100 companies and warned the government may intervene if boards do not rein in 'excessive' payouts.

While markets across Europe took a break over the long Easter holiday, Asian markets fluctuated between gains and losses, weighed down by expected weak Chinese manufacturing data to be released this week.

GlaxoSmithKline, the UK's largest pharmaceutical group, and rival AstraZeneca, saw shares jump sharply - with the latter up 10% - as a series of deals in the sector boosted prices.

Alastair Winter, chief economist at Daniel Stewart & Co, reveals his global economic outlook following a turbulent first quarter - and warns there will be plenty of opportunities to lose money in 2014.