Germany

Trading in currencies is basically a zero sum game. Rather than a stock or bond that can increase or decrease in value in absolute terms, and might move directionally the opposite of the equity or fixed income markets, currencies are all about relative movement. So in handicapping what might be the fate of the Euro currency in 2011, the question one has to ask is "In relation to what?"

A prominent headline on the front page of the Brisbane Courier-Mail reads: FLOOD RELIEF APPEAL Australia Unites Donate Now

Shares in British banks were broadly down on the FTSE 100 in morning trading as concerns about sovereign debt in the eurozone continued to dog investors.

This week a rather extraordinary thing happened in the European Parliament, a body which gets far too little attention, given how much EU bodies are increasingly playing a part in running this country.

This week on the Apprentice the candidates were sent off to Hamburg to sell crisps by British manufacturers to the German market.

The British Prime Minister had a good visit to China but received no praise for his part at the G20 Summit in Seoul, South Korea, immediately after. On his return to the Commons on 15 November 2010, Harriet Harman, standing in for Ed Miliband, hurled the jibe at Mr Cameron: "Britain needed to send a statesman to this summit but all we sent was a spectator."

Otto von Bismarck, the famed Chancellor of 19th century Germany, is famously said to have remarked that in life there are two things that it is better not to know how they are made: laws and sausages. Watching the first episode of the new series of "The Apprentice" I can't help but feel the old man was right.

Shares in Hays were up on the FTSE 250 in morning trading, despite the recruitment firm reporting a significant drop in pre-tax profit in the full year ended 30 June.

With Champions League qualifiers decided, the draw for the Group stages comes fairly immediate today with Europe's top teams joined by Tottenham Hotspur, Hapeol Tel Aviv and Slovak champions MSK Zilina.

Shares in WPP were up on the FTSE 100 in afternoon trading ahead of the advertising firm's half year results, due out tomorrow.

England's international football team are to play Hungary in a friendly today in what will be its first appearance since being severely thrashed by the Germans in the knock out stage of the World Cup earlier this summer.

Shares in TUI Travel dived in morning trading on the FTSE 100 after the group said it took a £105 million hit as a result of air space closures prompted by a giant ash cloud being emitted from an Icelandic volcano earlier this year.

Shares in Xstrata were up on the FTSE 100 after the Swiss mining company said it had doubled its operating profit in the half year ended 30 June.

As the Farnborough airshow draws to a close we take a look at the A400M, EADS military transporter - nicknamed Grizzly in development - to see if it can be a success?

Shares in British banks were up on the FTSE 100 in morning trading following the release of the results of "stress tests" on Friday evening.

Shares in Vodafone were up in morning trading on the FTSE 100 after the group said it had returned to organic revenue growth in the quarter ended 30 June.

ASOS - As Seen On Screen - has posted 5 pct gains in the stock market today as the online fashion retailer, whose stock was once as low as 3.6 pence soared to 983 pence on strong UK and international traffic to its website.

For all but the Spanish and the Dutch the World Cup is now over, but for those who have still not had enough of football there is always the chance for some virtual glory by leading their team of choice to victory on the Nintendo Wii.

If anything has made the case for the greater use of technology at sporting events it is this World Cup, after a number of shocking decisions not only led to players being unjustly sent off or having goals disallowed but in teams losing games they have rightly won.

The FA has confirmed that Fabio Capello will remain as manager of the England football team, despite a poor performance at the World Cup which saw them win only one in four games and crash out in the last 16 in a 4-1 defeat to Germany.

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.

National leaders at the G20 summit in Canada have binned the idea of a global levy on banks and have committed themselves to cutting their national budget deficits, despite concerns from the USA and developing economies.

British Prime Minister David Cameron is hoping to use the G8/G20 summit to improve relations with Russia, according to his spokesman.

England are confident of victory in their upcoming match against arch-rivals Germany, which is due to kick off at 15:00 this Sunday in the last 16 of the World Cup.

Shares in Lloyds Banking Group and RBS were up on the FTSE 100 following yesterday's emergency budget, announced by the Chancellor of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government, George Osborne.

In 1971, the Bretton Woods Gold-Dollar exchange rate system broke down, bringing in an era of floating exchange rates with all their uncertainty. Governments, especially the USA's and UK's may have been relieved of defending a particular parity by having to take deflationary action but this simply passed the burden on to trade and industry. As rates of exchange might vary at any time, both exporters and importers feared exchange rate losses, so increasing risk and uncertainty in the busi...

Wincanton, a logistics and distribution specialist, hopes to improve after a dismal year saw £20 million operating profit fall to just £3 million.

Netto MD, Claus Juel-Jensen today announced his disappointment at failing to make Netto a success in UK.

Britain's new coalition government needs to think medium-term says OECD, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Beware of Greeks bearing gifts? It has been touch and go this past month or so as to whether or not a wooden horse would make a suitable coffin for the euro. The EU itself has been shaken at its very core by a rift between President Sarkozy of France and Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel when, was been reported, the French President banged his fist on the table and threatened his country would pull out of the euro if Germany did not give its full backing to a rescue/bailout package for Gre...