Markets

Gold has climbed to its highest level in more than five months as speculation the next round of QE in the US is just weeks away pushed the precious metal higher.

Shares in Royal Bank of Scotland led the FTSE 100 lower in early trading after MPs criticised the bank over its IT failure in June.

Managers are increasingly concerned about the future resilience of UK dividends as payouts hit record levels and a slowing economy prompts the need for companies to reallocate capital.

Investors who bought into BP shares around the time of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico disaster have filed lawsuits claiming the company did not disclose the full extent of the spill, according to reports.

Investors are preparing for a sell-off in equities if policy action in the US and Europe fails to be aggressive enough.

Gold miners and their peers helped push the UK's leading index higher today, enjoying gains as precious metal prices rose.

UK INCOME

INCOME

Barclay's former chief executive John Varley is at the centre of the Financial Services Authority's (FSA's) latest investigation into the bank, the Sunday Telegraph reports.

Ken Edwards, the well-known IFA sales head who retired from Baillie Gifford in 2011, has joined Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) provider Calculus Capital.