S&P 500

Major European indices strengthened this afternoon as speculation over a Spanish bailout ramped up a notch.

Analysts have suggested the rest of October will be a 'make or break' period for US equity markets as companies continue to report their Q3 earnings.

Twenty-five years ago to this month, financial markets across the world went into freefall on a day that has come to be known as ‘Black Monday'.

JAPAN

The FTSE 100 was off over 1% mid-afternoon as investors spooked by the latest developments in Spain took risk off the table.

Asian and US markets closed lower overnight as the latest economic data emerging from leading economies around the world continued to worry investors.

Markets were subdued in afternoon trading as fears over China, coupled with instability in the Middle East, weighed on investor sentiment.

The FTSE 100 gained more than 80 points in early trading while global markets leapt higher overnight, lifted by the Federal Reserve's latest round of quantitative easing.

Shares across the globe fell overnight as renewed fears about Germany's likelihood of approving rescue plans plagued investors once again.

For right or wrong, it is an incontrovertible fact that more and more investors, as well as their advisers, are making the shift to using passive funds as part of their diversified portfolios.