Voluntary 15% reduction
Aviva's share price fell 3.12% today after it announced it will sell three of its overseas arms to MetLife.
S&P has downgraded Belgium's credit rating by one notch, to AA from AA+, expressing concerns about funding and market pressures.
Hungary has asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union (EU) for financial aid as its debt pile grows and its currency weakens.
Those looking to maximise returns in the first half of the year should have parked their money in Eastern European equity markets such as Hungary and the Czech Republic, according to data from S&P's.
Munich Re held a party for 100 of its highest-achieving sales staff and provided prostitutes for their entertainment.
Franklin Templeton's emerging markets guru Mark Mobius says the global economy will avoid a double-dip recession.
The Royal Bank of Scotland has listed 10 exchange-traded commodities (ETCs) and five exchange-traded notes (ETNs) on the Xetra exchange in Germany.
The fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago marked the end of the crude and utopian communist experiment that divided Europe for over four decades, says Hexam's Marina Akopian.
IFAs should reassess the investment potential of Eastern Europe as as an asset class, suggests JP Morgan Fleming, as those countries joining the European Union on 1st May appear to have healthier economies than Western Europe.