Markets

AGRICULTURE

State-owned RBS has reported Q1 pre-tax profit of £826m and said its "substantially fixed" balance sheet means it should be ready to return to private hands next year.

The BBC is planning to tap the bond markets for the first time in order to raise capital, according to the Times.

Ashcourt Rowan will consider ‘gap fill' acquisitions of small fund businesses as it targets a new phase of growth, according to CEO Jonathan Polin.

An overhaul of Alliance Trust's top ten holdings has seen it swap Lloyds for Barclays and step up its gearing in Q1.

Positive results from BG Group and Shell, alongside the completion of Glencore's long-running takeover of Xstrata, helped counter losses at UK engineers and propped up UK shares today.

ON NORTH AMERICA

ON UK INCOME

Ecclesiastical has appointed Mark Hews as group chief executive officer with immediate effect.

Artemis Strategic Assets fund manager William Littlewood is running the lowest net equity position in the fund's history in expectation the current rally cannot continue.