News

British corporate bonds beat global counterparts last month as investors gained confidence in the UK's economic recovery.

US stocks have opened sharply ahead this morning as private employers added more jobs than forecast in August, boosting optimism the world's largest economy can avoid slipping back into recession.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has testified the central bank had no option but to let Lehman Brothers fail despite knowing it would have "catastrophic" aftershocks.

Nouriel Roubini, the economist dubbed ‘Dr Doom' for predicting the US housing crash, believes the dollar, yen and Swiss franc may be better investments than gold if the global economy suffers a double dip.

Economic growth in the eurozone will finish higher than forecast in 2010, the European Central Bank (ECB) has said.

The cost to BP of cleaning up the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has hit $8bn (£5bn).

In the US, trading volumes fell ahead of key job market data to be released later today.

A European-wide Systemic Risk Board and three separate agencies will be set up to monitor securities, banks and insurance companies, but Britain has been assured the deal will not weaken its sovereignty.

America's wave of new financial regulation is likely to prompt the country's biggest financial institutions to break themselves up, according to the chairman of the Federal Reserve.

F&C multi-manager Paul Carne and analyst Catherine Sauer are to join Thames River by the end of the year, with Carne heading up the Lifestyle fund range when it migrates across.