Ireland

Aegon's Phil Milburn expects Irish banks to be able to refinance debt coming up for renewal next month, despite some predicting another testing time for the region.

Standard & Poor's downgrade of Ireland's credit rating was "inevitable", and other ratings agencies are likely to follow suit, says Schroders.

World demand for gold shot up by more than a third in the second quarter as recession-spooked investors continued to look to the commodity as a safe haven.

Standard & Poor's has downgraded Ireland's credit rating based on the country's weak banking system.

BONDS

Moody's has downgraded Ireland's sovereign government bond rating to Aa2 from Aa1.

Henderson European equity specialist Richard Pease explains why investors should avoid the noise and focus on the attractive opportunities available on the continent.

ASSET ALLOCATION

The UK budget deficit will hit 12% this year to become the highest in the EU, the European Commission forecasts.

Fund managers are buying into southern Europe as macro-economic instability creates opportunities, amid fears Greek contagion could push economies in the region into recession.