London investors are still wary after last week's request by Dubai World for a six-month standstill on debt repayments raised concerns about possible default.

Economic confidence is increasing across Europe, except in Greece, Malta, Romania and the UK which all saw a drop in sentiment in November, according to research by the European Commission.

Consumer demand for advice on pensions and investments is up as people reassess their finances in the hope of an economic recovery, research by Unbiased.co.uk suggests.

The FTSE opened better than expected in early trading Friday after concerns over Dubai's financial health sent Asian markets plummeting.

Trading on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) was brought to a standstill for more than three hours this afternoon as a result of a technical glitch.

Skandia has launched a guide to help advisers simplify due diligence when choosing a platform provider.

A quarter of occupational pension schemes lack a strategy to monitor and mitigate risk, according to The Pensions Regulator.

Investors in green ISAs would be the first to benefit from further rises in the tax-free savings limit under a Tory Government, says shadow chancellor George Osborne.

The number of UK mortgage approvals hit more than 42,200 in October, the highest since January last year, the British Bankers' Association (BBA) says.

Light-touch regulation and a belief in the fundamental rationality of the market will be replaced by a "bias towards conservatism", says Lord Turner, chairman of the FSA.