FTSE

On Wall Street, markets fell back slightly on the anniversary of Lehman Brothers' collapse.

Wall Street shares dipped on opening as a trade spat between the US and China escalated.

London trading got off to a positive start after the FTSE 100 rose above the psychologically important 5,000 points barrier yesterday.

At the moment I would suggest a great many virtuous fund managers have got their caution towards the euphoric stock markets about right. A couple of weeks back I could turn to almost any page in the news section of this fine paper and find a sensible...

I am an enormous fan of the Today programme on Radio Four, but its investment coverage sometimes amuses me.

After some uncertain times, the newsflow is getting more positive and the tables appear to be turning. Have we really come through the banking crisis unscathed or is there more bad news in the post?

There is little doubt the tide is turning for one of the most unloved regions. Investor sentiment towards Europe in July, as measured by the Bank of America Merrill Lynch fund manager survey, was at its lowest level since 2003.

London's blue-chip index has suffered a poor start to the week after sharp stock falls in Asia today, with property groups and miners among the early decliners.

On a local currency basis, the FTSE World Europe ex UK Total Return Index has outperformed the S&P 500 Total Return Index since the March 2009 lows, reflecting the fact that European markets tend to be more sensitive to global growth.

On Wall Street, markets were slightly up after a turbulent start to trading after some positive jobs data was released.