Long-suffering Equitable Life policyholders may receive less than £500 each in compensation, Government report suggests.

The high street enjoyed better fortunes than England's footballers in June as shoppers splashed out for the World Cup, retail figures show.

The best news today is that the Scouts are about to launch an entrepreneurs badge.

How you come across at interview is just as important as what you say, according to the business entrepreneur.

Santander is thought to be considering a flotation of its UK banking operations in London in move that could raise up to £3bn.

Families will be £3,000 poorer under measures introduced by in last month's emergency Budget, a leading forecaster warns.

Fed chairman spooks markets with talk of "uncertain" prospects and a "weaker outlook" for the US economy.

Blenheim Capital Partners has been hired by the Malaysian government to finance and develop a $5bn ($3.3bn) defence and technology centre to offset hundreds of millions of dollars owed to the country from defence deals.

WHAT is it they say? Pride comes before a fall? The Ocado management, so confident that their business was worth up to £1.2bn at a share price of up to 275p, yesterday saw it list and its shares fall to 167p, well down on the already discounted offer price of 180p.

There's more than a touch of Tesco to Reckitt Benckiser.

The case against Vodafone made by Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, a 0.42pc shareholder, is a strong one. Its decision to vote against the re-election of the chairman, Sir John Bond, is particularly pertinent.

Switzerland is fighting a losing battle to stop massive inflows of funds from investors fleeing sovereign risk in the euro area and the rest of the world.

The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, a leading Vodafone shareholder, has demanded a major boardroom shake-up to address the mobile phone operator's "strategic weakness", "poor capital allocation" and "disastrous" acquisition track record.

Shares in Ocado, the online grocery retailer, slumped 7pc on their first day of conditional trading on the stock market.

SSL tied up a £2.54bn takeover by consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser on Wednesday, but speculation of a rival bid pushed the Durex contraceptives group's shares over the offer price.

SSL, the maker of Durex condoms and Scholl shoes, is just the latest in a long line of brands hovered up by Bart Becht, the Reckitt Benckiser chief executive.

European banks have had to provide the authorities with information on how they would perform under two "adverse" scenarios as part of the region's stress tests.

Widespread chaos has been predicted in the bond markets as the world's three largest ratings agencies said their ratings could not be used in any marketing material.

The two companies spun-out of Cable & Wireless faced a barrage of hostile questions from shareholders angry at pay awards handed to executives.

Banks are ready to purge unwanted commercial property from their balance sheets as part of the normal boom and bust cycle - only this time around the world has changed.