Ben Bernanke said the US Federal Reserve could start slowing the pace of its asset purchases �in the next few meetings�, but only if the labour market showed sustained improvement.

Damp squib or analytical pragmatism? That was the verdict being weighed up by observers on Wednesday, as Britain's two part-nationalised banks - Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group - told the market they would not need to raise fresh ...

Nationwide has increased its share of the British mortgage market to a record level, helped by government-funded programmes to support housebuyers, such as the Bank of England's Funding for Lending Scheme.

David Cameron has called a Europe-wide agreement on tackling tax avoidance as a "turning point", after Google's boss urged politicians to "sort" the system.

Britvic is to cut up to 400 jobs - 15 per cent of its workforce - as part of efforts to bolster its fortunes as a standalone company should competition authorities squash its proposed tie-up with Scottish peer AG Barr.