George Osborne yesterday won backing from the International Monetary Fund, as it welcomed improvements in the economy. It will come as a relief to the Chancellor who was last month heavily criticised by the watchdog's chief economist for sticking to his ...

Japanese stocks rose sharply due to a firmer yen early Thursday, while the Australian and South Korean markets were lower, as investors reacted to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's congressional hearing.

The boss of Britain's biggest building society says a government scheme could make it even harder for first-time buyers to bag a home.

Profits at the energy giant SSE surged by 28 per cent on the back of a cold winter that left millions struggling to heat their homes.

Cable & Wireless Communications, the telecoms group that traces its history back to the early days of the British empire, is to leave the UK after more than 140 years and move its headquarters across the Atlantic.