Markets

The former chief executive of The Co-operative Bank yesterday accused his successors of taking their "eye off the ball" ahead of the lender's failed bid to buy more than 600 Lloyds branches, a move which deepened a £1.5bn capital hole in its accounts....

Rowan Dartington has restructured its senior team, resulting in Tim Cockerill taking over as investment director and Guy Stephens as managing director of the Signature division.

Invesco Perpetual is preparing to roll out its answer to Standard Life Investments' GARS fund with the trio of managers it poached from the group.

Shares in low-cost airline Ryanair tumbled 15% on Wednesday after the firm issued a surprise profit warning.

Standard Life Investments (SLI) and Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM) are reportedly looking to sue Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) over a controversial £12bn cash-call in 2008.

ON UK GROWTH

ON NORTH AMERICA

Fidelity's Sanjeev Shah has said he is "not burnt out" as he prepares to step down from fund management - and has warned a period of market consolidation lies ahead.

Sanjeev Shah is to step down as manager of Fidelity Special Situations at the end of 2013, while colleague Allan Liu is to step back from the group's UK-domiciled South East Asia fund.

The FTSE 100 has endured a volatile start to the morning after reports of a missile launch in the East Mediterranean rattled investors.