FTSE

Shares in BP continued rising on the FTSE 100 today after increased speculation that the oil giant is seeking support from sovereign wealth funds to save it from a takeover, as it deals with the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Shares in British banks were up in morning trading on the FTSE 100, helping the index to make its way back above 4,900 after a series of heavy falls last week and on Monday.

Shares in easyJet were up on the FTSE 250 in morning trading today, as the budget airline announced a rise in passenger numbers of over nine per cent in June.

Shares in BP were up nearly five per cent on the FTSE 100 in afternoon trading after reports of Middle Eastern interest in a substantial stake in the company started doing the rounds.

Shares in British banks were down on the FTSE 100 in morning trading as investors continued to fret over the state of the eurozone and the global economic recovery.

Shares in British banks were largely up on the FTSE 100 in morning trading after days of heavy losses brought about by fears of a double-dip recession.

Shares in Travis Perkins were up over five per cent on the FTSE 250 after the builder's merchant said it expected to begin paying dividends again later in the summer.

Diageo, the maker of Smirnoff, Guinness and Baileys has found a unique way of closing its £862m deficit - by using core assets that will grow in value.

Greene King today announced plans to diversify into food, with 200 Hungry Horse and Old English Inns planned for the next five years as profits rose to £123 million vs.forecast £126m.

Roy Hodgson has moved to Liverpool as reports of Harry Rednapp becoming England manager continue.

Shares in British banks took a nose dive in morning trading today as the FTSE 100 continued its plunge to new depths as investors jettison shares out of fear of a double-dip recession.

Debenhams own-bought ranges such as Principles by Ben de Lisi and H! by Henry Holland are seeing an increase in margins at the company at the expense of like-for-like sales.

Shares in Centrica and Scottish & Southern Energy were down on the FTSE 100 after energy regulator Ofgem said it would be introducing a new regime to prevent energy companies overcharging its customers.

Shares in British banks were up in afternoon trading and were helping the FTSE 100 fight a rearguard action following an abysmal day of trading yesterday, which saw the index drop 3.1 per cent to 4,914.22, the lowest close for 10 months and only the second time it has gone below 5,000 this year.

The life insurance sector has fallen by over 3 pct today, including Prudential and Aviva.

Shares in HMV were up over six per cent on the FTSE Small Cap and are a "cautious buy", ahead of tomorrow's preliminary results for the full year.

Four key facts regarding a trading update from Serco Group today.

Shares in Lloyds Banking Group were up on the FTSE 100 despite falls among other banks concerned about the risk of sovereign debt in the eurozone.

Shares in Carpetright were down nearly ten per cent on the FTSE 250 and are a recommended sell, despite the group reporting a rise in pre-tax profit of 33 per cent and a doubling of its full year dividend.

Housing prices have stalled, say latest figures from the Land Registry.

The FTSE 100 share index is awaiting the UK's final estimate of GDP for the first quarter of 2010 after the markets took in a sudden revision downwards of US Q1 GDP.

The Bank for International Settlements, a global bank that acts as intermediary between central banks, has announced today that Governments face an increasingly difficult task to combat 'inflationary pressures', which it says could 'reappear earlier than anticipated'.

Taylor Wimpey, a FTSE 250 housebuilder, has seen a recovery in sales in a trading statement released today.

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has announced that financial services growth remains 'muted' in its quarterly PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) survey.

Shares in British banks were up in morning trading on the FTSE 100 as concerns about regulation of the banking sector eased off.

Shares in Standard Chartered were down in morning trading on the FTSE 100 as an "upbeat" pre-close update was overshadowed by the prospect of greater regulation of the banking sector by the G20.

A third round of walkouts is to be balloted next Tuesday, 28t June as Unite, the Union receive a final offer from British Airways.

Shares in British banks were mixed on the FTSE 100 in morning trading ahead of this weekend's G20 meeting in Canada.

Shares in Berkeley Group Holdings were up on the FTSE 250 despite the property company reporting a drop in pre-tax profit of over eight per cent in the full year ended 30 April.

'Friends Life' the new brand formed by Axa's UK Life and Pensions business merging with Friend's Provident has been announced today after Resolution acquired Axa's business for £2.75 bn.