Markets

Sterling jumped 0.6% against the US dollar this morning, on the news wages in the UK grew at their fastest rate since 2001 in the three months to the end of April.

The FTSE 100 has fallen to a five-month low in early trading as investors continue to worry about the resolution of latest Greek debt talks.

The month of May marked the end of the UK's brief spell of negative inflation, as rising fuel costs have pushed the CPI figure above the zero mark once again.

UK equity income managers have been utilising more of their overseas investment budgets as they struggle to find suitable opportunities in the UK.

The London Stock Exchange and Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission have reached a deal allowing Hong Kong investors easier and cheaper access to UK-quoted companies than ever before.

A market for stockpickers

Aberdeen Asset Management is to issue £100m of non-voting preference shares to Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking (MUTB) in order to raise money for future fund launches.

The FTSE 100 has opened 0.5% lower, with European stocks deeper in the red, after Greece's bailout talks with creditors broke down overnight.

Below are five companies the Sustainable Future team at Alliance Trust Investments has identified which demonstrate their investment philosophy in practice.