B&Q and Screwfix owner Kingfisher looks set for more disappointing quarterly figures on Thursday, with concerns growing that its poor performance could be about more than just the weather.

The pursuit of Severn Trent Water by foreign investors will interest investors during a quieter week for corporate updates, as the latest position on the takeover interest looks set to dominate the water giant's annual results.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde has said a Paris court has named her as a key witness in an investigation into a controversial pay-off to an outspoken businessman arranged while she was France's finance minister.

Major stock indexes have recorded their first weekly loss in a month in a quiet trading day.

News Corp announced its board of directors has approved plans to split its entertainment and publishing businesses into two separate companies.

Banking giant HSBC felt the wrath of TV's Bill Oddie as it was accused of funding the desecration of forests.

HSBC has been rebuked by shareholders over huge pay packages in what the banking giant admitted was a "humbling and damaging" year.

Households have resigned themselves to being worse off amid the prolonged economic downturn, according to a gloomy analysis by a leading Bank of England policymaker.

The Co-operative Bank is to stop lending to new corporate customers as it seeks to repair a major hole in its finances - dealing a blow to efforts to ease the borrowing squeeze on small businesses.

RBS was hit by another embarrassing IT failure that left customers using its popular mobile app unable to access their accounts online.

Business secretary Vince Cable hailed plans by mobile phone giant Vodafone UK to hire 400 graduates over the next five years as a blueprint for British businesses.

Fears over the UK's reliance on imported energy have been fuelled after a report claimed Britain was just six hours away from running out of stored gas in March.