Economics / Markets

A member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee has made his case for more quantitative easing (QE) to keep the economy on track.

Charlie Bean, deputy governer of the Bank of England, has hit the headlines by suggesting people should spend right now, while interest rates are low, rather than saving their money.

European markets have fallen sharply this morning with the FTSE 100 down 1.1% or 61.8 points at 5,511.63.

It was confirmed today that UK GDP rose by 1.2% in Q2 as previously estimated, representing the biggest increase since Q1 2001.

The IMF has broadly backed the coalition government's spending cuts and efforts to tackle the deficit.

Irish and Portuguese government bond yields have hit fresh lows amid mounting fears of growing economic divergence within the eurozone.

A $3.7bn acquisition by consumer products giant Unilever led European markets higher in early Monday trade, the FTSE adding 0.2%.

FSA director of enforcement Margaret Cole has been named as one of Europe's most influential women for the second year running.

Global stocks rallied on Friday on better eurozone news and stronger-than-expected manufacturing numbers in the US.

The FTSE 100 opened lower this morning, down 0.31% to 5,529, as miners saw falls across the board.