US shares rise sharply on reports that President-elect Barack Obama has chosen his treasury secretary, reassuring investors.

A senior MP says he believes energy companies are increasing customers' direct debit payments by more than is needed.

The Chancellor is spending the weekend putting the final touches to a package of tax cuts and increases in public spending. ...

The number of properties repossessed by mortgage lenders rose by 12% to 11,300 in the third quarter of the year.

Shares in Citigroup, one of the biggest banks in the US, fell sharply on Friday amid uncertainty over the company's future.

Honda is to cut production in Japan and Europe and close its Swindon plant in the UK in February and March next year.

The sale of payment protection insurance alongside goods sold in catalogues should be restricted, says the Competition Commission.

Meat hygiene inspectors across the UK vote in favour of strike action in a row over work patterns and overtime payments.

Property sales rose by 8% in October, according to the latest figures from HM Revenue & Customs.

A watchdog calls on the Post Office to stamp out lengthy queues for customers and says too many businesses assume customers ...

Most young people are confident of finding a job despite the economic downturn, a survey finds.

The challenge of a pre-Budget report in hard times

Will South Africa's 2010 World Cup be hit by a downturn?

Employers cannot just sack staff they disagree with

Pre-Budget report: Taxes to fall and then rise

How did we fall out of love with Woolworths?

Concerns over Christmas gifts' safety

EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes tells France and Germany not to start a "subsidy race" to save the car industry

The two leading bankers who had hoped to stop Lloyds TSB taking over HBOS abandon their plan for independence.

The BBC Trust rejects controversial plans to launch a £68m network of local news websites with video content.

Business activity in the 15 countries sharing the euro falls in November to a ten-year low, the purchasing managers' index ...

American clothes retailer Gap defies Wall Street forecasts and reports higher-than-expected third quarter net profits.

Banks must start lending again or face being named and shamed, the Treasury Select Committee chairman says.

Oil prices steady on Friday after hitting their lowest level in three-and-a-half years a day earlier

Fuller, Smith & Turner says it is confident it will "cope well" even though the UK economic outlook did "not look good".

Asbestos-related cancer victims and their families have won an important test case over access to compensation.

Japanese car maker Toyota defends bringing out a new model despite slashing its earnings forecast for 2008.

Hutchison Whampoa subsidiary 3 Italia fails to reach a merger agreement with Telecom Italia because of price disagreements. ...

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) chairman, Sir Tom McKillop, says he is "profoundly sorry" for the bank's financial difficulties.

Japan's central bank keeps its key rate unchanged at 0.3% on Friday but warns of an uncertain outlook.

US computer maker Dell sees its quarterly profits fall as customers around the world buy fewer computers.

US carmakers are given a deadline to produce a viable recovery plan if they want a $25bn government bail-out.

Singapore downgrades its growth figure, which confirms it was Asia's first country in recession in the current crisis.

Wall Street shares fall steeply for the second day in a row, amid investors' growing fears of a protracted economic downturn.

Offshore tax dodgers will be facing a second round of investigations by HM Revenue & Customs next year.

Sales on the UK's High Streets fell by a lower-than-expected 0.1% in October, Office for National Statistics figures show.

Property sales rose slightly in October, for the second month in a row, the National Association of Estate Agents says.

Mortgage lending rose by nearly 7% between September and October, figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders show.

Alistair Darling may be forced to set out future taxes rises to pay for a short-term boost to the economy, the BBC understands.

Latvia becomes the second European Union country to seek the International Monetary Fund's help to stabilise its financial ...

Russia demands Ukraine to repay a $2.4bn gas debt, raising fears of a renewed dispute which could disrupt supplies to Europe.

The International Monetary Fund approves a $2.1bn (£1.4bn) loan for Iceland, after its banking system collapsed in October.

Spanish savings bank La Caixa may sell its 14% stake in Spanish-Argentine energy firm Repsol to Russia's Lukoil.

French car company Peugeot Citroen announces plans to shed 2,700 jobs because of falling demand in Europe.

Aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce says it plans to cut between 1,500 and 2,000 jobs in 2009, including 140 in the UK.

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