Economics

Threadneedle's Dan Ison has backed the eurozone to continue to recover after adding 5.5% to European bank stocks in his £69m Pan European Accelerando fund.

SVM's Colin McLean is backing retailers which have been shunned by the market, despite expectations of weak growth in the UK and higher taxes squeezing shoppers.

A record monthly increase in eurozone inflation unexpectedly sent the annual rate to a 29-month high in March, strengthening expectations that the European Central Bank will tighten monetary policy further this year.

BP has extended the deadline for completing a share swap deal with Russian oil giant Rosneft until 16 May, as reports suggest talks with AAR about the British oil firm buying out its Russian partner in joint venture TNK-BP have "more or less collapsed"....

European markets rallied this afternoon after a cautious start to the week as commodity prices rebounded.

The FTSE 100 is ahead in early trading after near triple-digit losses at the end of yesterday's session, supported by banks and miners.

Consumer Prices Index (CPI) annual inflation fell by a surprise 0.4% to 4% in March as the cost of food and drink lowered, but it is still double the Bank of England's target.

Japan has been struck by an earthquake aftershock with a 7.1 magnitude, which has rattled the country's north-eastern cost, exactly one month on from the deadly tsunami.

The Independent Commission on Banking has recommended UK banks' retail operations should be 'ring-fenced' from their investment banking arms.

Bank shares led the FTSE 100 higher in early trading as investors breathed a sigh of relief that the Independent Commission on Banking had opted to ring-fence banks rather than break them up.