HSBC doubles profits to £11.8bn

Europe's largest bank said every region and customer group was in the black - a feat it has not achieved since 2006 - as chief executive Stuart Gulliver hailed the "good start to the year". The bank said emerging markets continue to drive earnings and said its performance has so far not been impacted by the political turmoil in North Africa and the Middle East. However, rising impairments and a relatively disappointing performance from its investment banking division saw the bank's results fall short of expectations. Investors have subsequently reacted cautiously to the figures, with ...