Britain's top share index fell 0.5 percent in early trade on Tuesday, dragged lower by miners, as metal prices fell, and by banks after analysts cautioned over the sector's funding position. By 0921 GMT, the FTSE 100 was 17 points lower at 5,589.72, having ended 0.1 percent higher on Monday, its highest close since 2

World stocks inched lower on Tuesday from the previous day's six-week high and oil tumbled, while the yen rose broadly as investors grew cautious after a recent rally in riskier assets. U.S. technology shares rallied on Monday after JP Morgan Chase recommended Cisco Systems to investors while an analyst's upgrade sent Research in Motion higher.

Sony Corp said it will launch 3D televisions in Japan in June, entering an increasingly crowded field of competition for what many see as the next hot product in the electronics industry. Sony said it would begin selling 3D TVs in Japan on June 10. The electronics and entertainment conglomerate expects a model with a

The credit outlook for the Swedish banking sector remains negative, although it is improving. Swedish banks still face a challenging operating environment which will continue to put pressure on their financial fundamentals in 2010, Moody's Investors Service said. The report added that Swedish banks remain exposed to key risks, notably asset quality deterioration, particularly from

Oil and higher-yielding currencies pulled back from multi-week highs on Tuesday and Asian stocks drifted lower as investors paused in their recent chase for riskier assets. Investors appeared to be searching for reasons to stump up more money as a buoyant mood the previous day wore off, and some traders said this was an opportunity

The Cyprus Police have confirmed that the body found on Monday night, at the new Strovolos cemetery in the Nicosia district belongs, to the late President of the Republic Tassos Papadopoulos. The body was removed on 11 December 2009 from its grave in the cemetery of Deftera community, on the eve of Papadopoulos' first annual

The credit outlook for the Bulgarian banking system is negative, primarily reflecting the adverse impact of the domestic economic recession on the credit quality and net profits of the country's banks, Moody's Investors Service said in a new Banking System Outlook. "Following several years of strong economic growth, the Bulgarian economy was significantly affected by

Stocks were flat in early trading on Monday after a rally last week that saw the Nasdaq close at an 18-month high after encouraging jobs data. American International Group Inc (AIG.N) rose 6.6 percent to $29.95 after it agreed to sell its Alico foreign life insurance unit to MetLife Inc (MET.N) for about $15.5 billion.

The recent weakening in Portugal's sovereign credit fundamentals, which is reflected in the negative outlook on the Aa2 government debt rating, and the challenges ahead for the domestic economy raise questions about the potential impact these developments may have on the credit profiles of Portuguese banks, Moody's Investors Service said in a new Special Comment.