Britain's Labour government looks set on Wednesday to use its last budget before an election just weeks away to cut its estimates for borrowing. A record budget deficit has spooked investors and become a central issue for the coming election. Finance minister Alistair Darling has repeatedly said there will be no big giveaways and government
More
The European Union must decide on a way to help debt-laden Greece this week, or run the risk of causing a "serious disruption" for the euro, the European Union's monetary affairs chief said. "There is already the technical preparedness. Now we need a political decision. This is also important to Greece so it would know
More
The European Union could overcome deep-seated German reservations about a bailout for Greece and agree an aid package this week that seems increasingly likely to involve the International Monetary Fund. Chancellor Angela Merkel has taken a tough line against offering Greece money, but European Union diplomats say efforts are under way behind the scenes to
More
Wall Street and steadier commodity prices prodded world stocks higher on Tuesday but the euro remained weak against the dollar, shackled by uncertainty over Greece's debt crisis. U.S. shares rose in the overnight session after the passing of landmark legislation to reform healthcare, with pharmaceutical stocks driving gains. Gold rebounded after plumbing its lowest levels
More
European shares rose on Tuesday, led by an upbeat outlook from Cairn Energy and an earnings boost from Legal & General, while Volkswagen fell after announcing a capital increase. By 1229 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was up 0.4 percent at 1,069.15 points. The benchmark is up around 66 percent from
More
Britain's top shares were up 0.5 percent at midday on Tuesday, just below a fresh 21-month peak, with strength in commodity stocks and banks providing the main strength and inflation numbers largely ignored. By 1159 GMT, the FTSE 100 index was 26.08 points higher at 5,670.621, slipping back after hitting an intra-day high of 5,695.94,
More
Firmer commodity stocks and banks lifted Britain's top share index to a 21-month high on Tuesday, while results from Legal & General pushed insurers higher. By 0952 GMT the FTSE 100 was up 48.77 points at 5,693.31, having hit a high since June 2008 of 5,695.94, after ending down 5.58 points, or 0.1 percent, on
More
European shares rose in early trade on Tuesday, with insurer Legal & General and Cairn Energy gaining after their profits beat forecasts, while miners climbed as gold prices picked up. At 0939 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was up 0.7 percent at 1,072.44 points, after three days of losses. The European
More
Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Tuesday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.21 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.21 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.15 percent. Time Warner Inc (TWX.N), Lions Gate Entertainment Corp (LGF.N) and billionaire Len Blavatnik's Access Industries put up rival bids of
More
Central bankers should base policy on simple rules related to inflation and economic growth and not rely on hazy measures of economic slack in order to stay ahead of the curve, a senior U.S. Federal Reserve official said on Tuesday. Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank President Charles Plosser warned that formulating policy based on the difficult-to-measure
More