News

The FTSE 100's long-running rally has been brought to a dramatic close this morning, with the index shedding 133 points in early trading as fears over an end to the US quantitative easing programme spook investors.

Psigma has dodged today's Japanese equity sell-off after the firm's CIO Tom Becket told its investment managers to reduce exposure earlier this week amid fears a pullback was imminent.

The Office for National Statistics' second estimate of Q1 GDP has left the reading unrevised at 0.3%, but hopes are growing of a more positive Q2 figure.

Households and businesses should be told borrowing costs will remain at rock-bottom levels until the economy is motoring again, the International Monetary Fund has said.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index has closed down 7.3% as comments from Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke over a potential scaling back of quantitative easing spooked investors worldwide.

Charlie Eppinger, chairman of Cofunds, will step down with immediate effect following the completion of the platform's acquisition by L&G.

Lloyds Banking Group has raised £450m from a placing of a 15% stake in St James's Place (SJP), just months after it sold a 20% stake.

Many UK-listed stocks have got off to a flying start in 2013, with indices approaching all-time highs, but some companies have been given a rough ride by markets, destroying shareholders' capital in the process.

Legal & General Investment Management hired Emiel van den Heiligenberg from BNP Paribas Investment Partners as its head of asset allocation.

Outflows from gold-backed exchange traded funds in 2013 are now greater than the combined level of inflows seen in 2011 and 2012, according to Bloomberg data.