stock markets

Wealth manager and advisory firm Hargreaves Lansdown has seen assets under management grow by almost a fifth over the three months between June and September.

UK insurers managed to shrug off the worst of the recession because of continued demand from outside the UK for their products, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) says.

Investor confidence in stock markets has picked up following the recent rally, research by F&C Investments suggests.

The FTSE 100 index is continuing its strong performance this week with major gains for BT Group on the back of a deal with the regulator Ofcom.

The UK's FTSE 100 index has closed lower for a third consecutive day.

Expectations of poor retailing figures covering the Christmas period look set to push the FTSE lower today, with the index down a fraction at about 4,840 so far.