The US Federal Reserve heralded the beginning of the end for its third round of quantitative easing as Ben Bernanke said it could slow the $85bn-a-month pace of asset purchases �in the next few meetings� if the labour market is strong.

Nationwide has grabbed a record share of the mortgage market after seeing a big rise in the number of first-time buyers joining the property ladder.

Britain, under pressure to build new power stations, could save as much as 100 billion pounds ($150 billion) through 2050 by spending on wind, nuclear and carbon capture rather than gas, the government's climate adviser said.

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.

An energy company has told customers they will have to find another �80 a year for energy - despite a surge in their profits of nearly 28%.