FTSE 100

The FTSE 100 lost 40 point in early trading on Thursday as BP shares continued to drop.

The FTSE 100 index rose by 0.7% to 5063.7 points in early trading led by Royal Bank of Scotland, which edged closer to significant asset sales.

UK stocks have tumbled sharply this morning after Fitch labelled Britain's fiscal challenge as "formidable".

Global markets are in freefall today following Wall Street's slide on Friday and on fears over a Greek-style crisis in Hungary.

The UK's leading income managers say investors should remain confident about dividend growth in 2010 and beyond, despite growing fears last week income giant BP, as well as many European players, may be forced to cut or pass payouts.

The FTSE 100 opened higher in early trading by 20.32 points(0.39%) to 5231.50 as investors become more optimistic about prospects for a global recovery.

The FTSE 100 rose 1.48% or 76.18 points to 5,227.50 as sentiment was boosted by a strong showing from Wall Street and Asia overnight.

The FTSE 100 has opened 1.3% lower this morning as global indices continue to decline.

The FTSE continues to fall in early trading, weighed down by fears over the global economic recovery and a massive sell-off in BP shares.

Banks in the eurozone will suffer "considerable" loan losses in 2010 and 2011, potentially leading to €195bn (£165bn) in futher write-downs, the European Central Bank warns.