Close Brothers has reported rising profits for the six months to January, with its broker arm Winterflood especially benefiting from improved trading conditions.

Richard Plackett is to take a six-month sabbatical from BlackRock, handing his portfolios to other members of the team.

Russian shares dropped to a five-year low yesterday, weighing on global markets, while the gold price jumped as the Ukraine crisis intensified.

Jeremy Tigue is to step down from the £2.4bn Foreign & Colonial trust as he prepares to retire at the end of the year.

Jupiter saw its AUM hit a new record in 2013, driven by strong flows into several key funds.

The FTSE 100 reached a 14-year high yesterday while the S&P 500 hit a new record level, lifted by M&A activity.

Three of the top ten dividend payers globally in 2013 were British companies, while financials accounted for the greatest proportion of payouts, according to a new study by Henderson Global Investors.

Legal & General has agreed to acquire US investment group Global Index Advisors in a $50m deal.

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is to cut 30,000 jobs as it scales back operations to become a more focused bank.

Average annual investment returns over the last decade were similar to those of the last century, despite several global wars and a financial collapse, according to analysis from Brewin Dolphin.