greece

ON UK GROWTH

UK stocks fell on Monday morning, pulling back following the strong end to last week, with Greece once again in focus as government talks enter a critical stage.

Bondholders in debt swap talks with Greece may get offered a sweetener in the form of a coupon linked to the future GDP growth of the country.

The FTSE 100 has fallen 1.1% as concerns over Portugal and the continued lack of a Greek bond swap deal weigh on global markets.

European markets edged lower this morning, echoing falls across Asia overnight, as investors showed caution over the outcome of the Greek debt swap deal.

London-based investment manager Exotix - the emerging and frontier markets specialist - is urging clients to buy into Greek debt and the country's stock market before it reaches a deal with creditors.

IMF chief Christine Lagarde has ramped up the pressure on Greece's private creditors to put a better offer on the table as debt swap negotiations continue this week.

MOVING INTO 2012

Rathbones' James Thomson has been running the £135m Rathbone Global Opportunities fund for eight years since its launch in November 2003.

Private creditors negotiating with Greece over its debt restructuring have made a "maximum" offer over the amount of losses they will accept, according to reports.