Skandia has agreed a deal with eight external fund groups whose funds will feature in its restricted panel, Investment Week can reveal.

The appointment of the Bank of Canada's Mark Carney as the next Bank of England governor has been heralded as an "outstanding choice" by analysts and led to upgrades for UK banks.

UK GDP growth for the third quarter of 2012 has been confirmed at 1% by the Office for National Statistics in its second official reading.

The government's auto-enrolment legislation may have a more significant effect on consumers' disposable income than planned government cuts, according to JO Hambro Capital Management's Clive Beagles.

The FTSE 100 has added to recent gains in early trading this morning, raising the prospect of the index posting its largest weekly gain since last December.

Old Mutual Wealth is planning to turn around its Skandia platform by halving costs as a proportion of FUM after the business made a £5m loss in the first half of 2012.

The Battle Against Cancer Investment trust (BACIT) has revealed details of its holdings as it invests an initial £200m worth of assets.

Moody's has stripped France of its AAA rating as Artemis' William Littlewood becomes the latest fund manager to turn more negative on the country.

US and Asian equity markets rallied overnight as talk of US politicians reaching a deal to avert the fiscal cliff helped sooth investor worries.

The FTSE 100's dismal week continued today as the UK's leading index fell to a four-month low, and remains on course to make a loss for the week.