The index of 100 leading shares was down more than 1% just after 9am after flat trading on Wall Street and in Asia, with investors awaiting British inflation numbers.

Eurozone ministers are poised to meet in Brussels as the debt crisis once again threatens the economic stability of the 16-member bloc.

John Cridland will take the helm at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) in January when current director general Richard Lambert steps down after four years.

Investors in troubled Keydata-backer Lifemark have been relegated to seventh place in the company's creditors ranking by Norwich & Peterborough (N&P) and CarVal's loan provision.

The recovery in both France and Germany, Europe's largest economies, slowed considerably in the third quarter.

London's FTSE opened 1.7% down this morning on a poor day for global stocks, following heavy losses in Asia and fresh fears for the Irish economy.

Officials in Ireland and the EU yesterday moved closer to conceding the heavily indebted nation may require a bailout.

I have often urged the wider financial services sector to engage more with Parliament and not leave all the lobbying to trade associations.

The FSCS is facing angry calls from both IFAs and investors to make its decision-making process more transparent, after two controversial judgments involving Lifemark-backed Keydata bonds and Lehman Brothers-backed NDF products.

Payment Protection Insurance continues to top the financial Ombudsman's product complaints list, attracting 11% more claims in the three months to 30 September versus the previous quarter.