Economics / Markets

The spot price of gold climbed by over 1% to $1,655 an ounce as the Federal Reserve said it is likely to ease monetary policy soon unless there is a sharp change in economic data.

TOP PERFORMERS

MULTI-ASSET

The successor to Mervyn King will have an "unduly powerful role" thanks to Treasury plans to extend the powers available to the Bank of England (BoE), one of the bank's advisers has warned.

US Federal authorities are reportedly investigating RBS over possible dealings with Iran, the latest case of a UK bank coming under scrutiny from US regulators.

The Institute of Directors (IoD) has called on George Osborne to do more to cut taxes, reduce red tape and invest in new infrastructure in order to boost economic growth.

European markets rose in early trading as investors awaited a meeting on Greece's future and possible anti-crisis action from policymakers.

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is to instruct banks to charge for current accounts, according to a report by consumer group Which?.

Apple has overtaken Microsoft as the most valuable company of all time after its share price surged this week, pushing the value of the company to $623bn.

Some 80% of people earning more than £50,000 a year will seek out some sort of professional financial advice, according to research released today.