Treasury

The FTSE has tumbled as much as 2% as US ten-year yields touch two-year highs in expectation of an imminent slowdown of the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing programme.

The Treasury is to launch an advertising campaign promoting the Equitable Life compensation scheme after a damning report said its performance had been "unacceptably poor".

LLOYDS

Banks, housebuilders and agents are expected to benefit from the government's lending schemes.

A ‘mansion tax' on all homes worth more than £2m would cost the owners as much as £36,000 a year on average, according to Whitehall analysis.

Leading strategic bond fund managers have cut their aggressive shorts on US treasuries, on the expectation the Federal Reserve may postpone plans to scale down QE if growth and inflation continue to undershoot.

The government has announced new ISA rules that will make it easier for people to invest directly into small businesses.

Over the past month losses have racked up across bond sectors after comments from the Federal Reserve signalling the end of quantitative easing spooked global markets.

The Bank of England's Andrew Haldane has said a possible sharp rise in bond yields represents the biggest risk for financial markets at present.

Leading bond managers have said the US Federal Reserve could start winding down its QE programme as soon as this summer, with treasury yields jumping as a result.