Economics / Markets

The US dollar has fallen to a one-year low against the euro ahead of the G20 and Federal Reserve meetings.

Wall Street shares rose slightly ahead of the Fed's latest interest rate decision, with investors hoping for clues on how the Fed will control inflation.

Regulators around the world will be handed new powers to limit the share of profits that banks can spend on bonuses under a compromise deal to be tabled in Pittsburgh this week at the G20 meeting of leaders of the largest economies.

London trading got off to a positive start this morning after the Dow Jones narrowed a large deficit over night.

US shares dropped almost 1% in early trading as a fall in commodities prices drags on the benchmark Dow Jones.

Top UK stocks drifted lower in a quiet start to the session as investors locked in gains after the FTSE reached a new 12-month high before the weekend.

Royal Bank of Scotland is to consider a £3bn-£4bn share issue to reduce the stake it would hand to the government for joining its toxic assets insurance scheme and has approached its biggest investors about the idea, the FT reports.

The Dow Jones opened higher in early trading on Friday with Procter & Gamble heading up the winner's table.

The FTSE 100 slipped slightly this morning after Wall Street's recent rally stalled overnight.

The Dow Jones is flat in early trading as investor concern the index is outpacing the real rate of recovery grows.