Equities

F&C Asset Management has appointed the head of its institutional business, Richard Wilson, as its new chief executive.

Barclays is the most attractively valued UK bank, offering the best potential for growth if it restructures its investment banking division, according to J.P. Morgan Cazenove.

SECTOR REPORT

The Dow shed more than 300 points in yesterday's session as investors questioned re-elected President Barack Obama's commitment to dealing with the US fiscal cliff.

EUROZONE

Lloyds' potential sale of its St James's Place (SJP) stake could be a landmark moment for the bank but the outlook for the wealth manager is less clear, according to investors and analysts.

Britain's largest bank HSBC has set aside an extra $800m to cover settlements for breaching anti money-laundering rules in the US.

Royal Bank of Scotland has posted a pre-tax loss of £1.2bn in the third quarter, as it sets aside a further £400m to cover claims related to the mis-selling of payment protection insurance (PPI).

The soaring share price of Lions Gate Entertainment and Disney's $4bn acquisition of Lucasfilm demonstrate the increasing power of content providers, according to Alliance Trust Asset Management's Justin Atkinson.

ABSOLUTE RETURN