Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP) has hired Lynda Shillaw as director of real estate.

SWIP's James Clunie is considering doubling the size of his short position in battered luxury brand provider Mulberry on the belief the stock could see further weakness.

The manager of the GAM Star US All Cap Equity fund has overhauled his portfolio in an attempt to boost returns following a period of lacklustre performance and outflows.

The FTSE 100 made marginal gains this morning as investors look through a tough session on Wall Street Friday, and a mixed day in Asia, to focus on an expected improvement in economic data later this week.

BP's shareholders have called for a cash payout to be made if the sale of its 50% stake in TNK-BP goes through, as talk it is poised to offload its holding imminently picks up.

Commerzbank is set to unveil a commodities-focused investment vehicle as part of the bank's drive into the UK investment market.

Newton's James Harries has urged investors to hold back before redeploying cash into Europe.

The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee is split over whether to commit to further quantitative easing, according to minutes from this month's meeting.

The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has exited the government's Asset Protection Scheme designed to insure against toxic assets.

Major European indices strengthened this afternoon as speculation over a Spanish bailout ramped up a notch.