The UK economy is still in recession, official figures have revealed, with GDP falling 0.4% between July and September.

Wealth manager and advisory firm Hargreaves Lansdown has seen assets under management grow by almost a fifth over the three months between June and September.

Wealth management firm London & Capital has made its debut in the traditional UK retail market with the launch of a trio of income funds.

European shares rose in early trading this morning, with banks adding most points to the FTSE Eurofirst 300 (up 1.0% at the time of writing); HSBC, Banco Santander and BNP Paribas gained between 1.2 and 2.3%.

European markets opened in positive territory this morning with the FTSE Eurofirst 300 and the FTSE All-Share both up 0.8%.

European markets have broadly continued gaining on Wednesday's highs, following encouraging US earnings and the resulting strength in US markets.

The FTSE 100 hit a fresh year high this afternoon as global markets surged forwards.

UK inflation has fallen to its lowest level in five years, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Investors in the stricken Arch cru range face a further six to eight weeks wait to find out the value of the funds' assets.

The FTSE 100 benchmark index shot to its highest level since the day Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy last year.