Stuart Rose, chairman of bellwether British retailer Marks & Spencer, said consumers can cope with government spending cuts and retail sales will grow next year, even though trading will be tough. "I believe that consumers want clarity and what the Chancellor of the Exchequer did last week was give consumers absolute clarity about what to

British Prime Minister David Cameron urged companies on Monday to use more of their profits to expand and promised to do more to get bank lending flowing to smaller firms as huge cuts in public spending begin to kick in. Cameron, speaking to business leaders, was seeking to switch the focus of debate on the

BP's new chief executive said its rivals and the media had helped cause a climate of fear during the summer when the oil giant's blown-out Gulf of Mexico well caused the worst ever oil spill in the United States. The comments represented the latest volley in BP's battle to rebuild its battered reputation by taking

German sporting goods maker Puma said it would bring criminal charges against its partners in a Greek joint venture after discovering a swindle that could cost it as much as 130 mln euros. Puma said on Monday it suspected that its "Greek joint venture partner, along with members of the Greek local management, has committed

Japan's Nikkei average fell 0.3% on Monday as the yen reached a fresh 15-year high on the dollar and approached its all-time peak, but investors were careful about trading actively ahead of the peak earnings period. The reporting season is about to get into full swing in Japan, with a flurry of major companies set

The dollar slid broadly on Monday as investors interpreted a Group of 20 agreement to shun competitive currency devaluations as a green light to resume dollar selling. At the meeting in South Korea, G20 finance ministers also struck a surprise deal to give emerging nations a bigger voice in the IMF, recognising the quickening shift

Shanghai and Hong Kong shares rose on Monday morning as strong corporate earnings and a weaker dollar lifted commodity and energy-related plays. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was up 0.94% at 23,738.09 by the midday trading break. The index faces resistance at its 28-month peak around 23,850, a level that also coincides with the 61.8%

Singapore Exchange (SGX) unveiled an agreed AU$8.4 bln ($8.3 bln) takeover offer for Sydney-based ASX Ltd on Monday to create Asia's fifth-largest exchange. The merger of SGX and the ASX would be the first major consolidation of Asia-Pacific exchanges and aims to ward off the threat of alternative trading systems, line up new avenues for

Greece's biggest telecom OTE <OTEr.AT> appointed Michael Tsamaz, the head of its mobile phone unit, as new CEO on Friday, with a mission to cut costs and defend market share in a shrinking, austerity-hit market. Greece and Deutsche Telekom <DTEGn.DE>, which together own 50 percent of OTE, agreed on Tsamaz as CEO and chairman of