UK equities

Net retail sales for August plunged to their lowest level since October 2008, new IMA statistics show, dragged down by record outflows from the UK All Companies sector.

Neptune Investment Management has shut its £1m UK Alpha fund due to insufficient assets.

Prudential has dropped funds including Richard Buxton's Schroder UK Alpha Plus fund from its Dynamic Portfolio range in a move to diversify UK equity risk.

In the latest Big Debate, our panelists from Fundamental Tracker Investment Management and Threadneedle Investments discussed UK Equities.

Jeremy Charles, manager of the £1.3bn Scottish Widows UK Growth fund, is the latest fund manager to exit the firm following the restructure of its £54bn equity desk.

Fidelity is to rename Aruna Karunathilake's £167m UK Aggressive fund to better reflect its investment style.

Troy Asset Management's Sebastian Lyon has advised investors not to buy equities now, as stock valuations are stretched to 2007 levels.

Standard Chartered, one of the UK's largest banks, has seen its shares plunge almost 25% in morning trading as investors panic-sell in reaction to the news it may lose its US banking licence.

With Greece heading towards default, Spain in the doldrums, and the US starting to slow, it is hard to pluck up the courage to buy shares now, but Fidelity's equities guru Dominic Rossi has highlighted five reasons why things are not all that bad.

Shares in beleaguered retailer HMV fell sharply in early trading after it confirmed its finance director is set to follow former chief executive Simon Fox out of the door.