FTSE 100

The FTSE 100 has shed 40 points in early trading to move back towards the 6,400 mark, compounding losses suffered in recent days.

Markets across the continent were lower in morning trading as investors reacted to heavy selling in emerging markets.

Hargreaves Lansdown is in talks with a number of fund groups to secure exclusive deals to sell their passive products at discounted prices.

The FTSE has tumbled as much as 2% as US ten-year yields touch two-year highs in expectation of an imminent slowdown of the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing programme.

Financial services group Resolution helped push the FTSE 100 index higher this morning after better-than-expected half-yearly results.

Japan's Nikkei has soared while the yen has tumbled against the dollar, amid speculation the government is considering a corporate tax cut.

UK EQUITIES

Shares in asset managers Schroders and Henderson have fallen in morning trading while Aviva climbed following a set of half-year results from the groups.

The FTSE 100 closed 1.4% down on Wednesday after new Bank of England Governor Mark Carney gave the market forward guidance, but sterling recovered after an initial drop.

Investment bank Goldman Sachs has made a bullish prediction London's leading share index will break through its all-time high over the next 12 months.