Worries the US was closer to bringing its economic stimulus measures to an end and concern over the state of the Chinese economy triggered a huge global sell-off today, with the FTSE 100 falling from its highest level in thirteen years.

Mothercare is crawling towards a recovery as chief executive Simon Calver insisted the UK company was on target to break even within two years.

A day after the International Monetary Fund urged the government to do more now to spur growth, Britain's official statisticians have reminded economists of just how far the UK economy remains from full health.

The boss of Flybe has hit out at "punitive" charges and taxes that have pushed the troubled regional airline to end flights in and out of London from next March.

The annual report from Britain's biggest retailer revealed that Richard Brasher, the former head of Tesco in the UK, was paid �1.3m to leave and Tim Mason, who led the company's US arm Fresh & Easy, collected �1.7m in �liquidated damages�.

There was no relief for ARM Holdings today after analysts at Exane BNP provided sceptics with plenty of ammunition for their bear case against the microchip designer.

David Cameron has appointed a former lobbyist for British Gas to be his personal advisor on energy and climate change. Tara Singh, whose previous role as public affairs manager at British-Gas owner Centrica involved frequent contact with the Conservative ...

Car parts and cycles retailer Halfords has unveiled a three-year strategy to boost its sales after unveiling a 22 per cent plunge in annual profits.

Pre-tax profits were �97m in the six months to the end of March, compared with �37m last year. Total turnover was flat year-on-year at �866m.

When it comes to beer stocks, investors should splurge for a taste of the exotic. Consider SABMiller, which reported Thursday a healthy 12% rise in adjusted earnings during the year through March.