Economics / Markets

Hargreaves Lansdown shares closed above the £10 mark for the first time ever yesterday as investors continue to back the platform to excel in a post-RDR environment.

The French economy has officially entered recession after shrinking in the first quarter of the year, data released today has revealed.

BP and Shell were braced for the reaction of the markets on Wednesday after European regulators began an investigation into whether the companies may have manipulated the price of oil for more than a decade.

The Bank of England needs to remind the public and businesses that interest rates will one day rise again, a former Monetary Policy Committee member has warned.

Concerns raised by ratings agencies, analysts and hedge funds have pushed bank shares lower this morning as the FTSE 100 snaps seven straight days of gains.

Britain's recovery is gathering momentum on the back of a "stunning" resurgence in manufacturing, economists said, as advertising spending - another economic bellwether - bounced back to levels not seen since the recession struck.

JAPAN

Intrinsic Financial Services has reported a pre-tax profit of £24.3m although this figure is skewed by the waiver of preference share dividends and the cancellation of Lloyds preference shares.

The UK is experiencing a slower economic recovery than 23 of the 33 advanced economies monitored by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), according to analysis.

Global investors are feeling bullish about the prospect of further stockmarket gains this year, and are also favouring precious metals despite recent price falls, according to the Franklin Templeton Global Investor Sentiment survey.