FTSE 100

The Dow has leapt to a fresh all-time high shortly after the opening bell, as Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke last night ruled out the prospect of an imminent end to QE.

EMERGING MARKETS

Henderson shares have risen by almost 9% after the group said it expected underlying H1 profit to come in at around £100m, ahead of market expectations.

Investors must rethink their approach to categorising global markets, according to Luke Barrs of Goldman Sachs Asset Management.

The FTSE 100 is in the black this morning, buoyed by shares including Royal Bank of Scotland which helped the index shrug-off weak Asian markets overnight.

Chinese shares have started the week sharply in the red, with markets off substantially amid ongoing fears about the impact of the US cutting back its stimulus programme.

The FTSE 100 bounced back this afternoon after a sell-off yesterday, with leading shares recovering from falls amid fresh hopes for a resolution to the crisis in Portugal.

Markets across Europe fell deep into the red today as the Portugal crisis worsened and investors reacted to a big sell-off in China overnight.

INVESTMENT TRUSTS

Some mid-cap managers are allocating nearly 40% of their funds to stocks outside the FTSE 250, leading to a dip in performance as the index rallied over the last six months.