retail sales

The Dow Jones is trading in the red after lower than expected US retail sales figures weighed on investor sentiment.

The government says it will increase the levy on bank profits to £2.5bn this year, to raise an extra £800m for the public purse.

Fears of a double-dip recession appear to have receded after the high street enjoyed surprisingly robust trading last month, boosted by continued hefty discounting and catch-up shopping after December's snow.

Ocado has revealed its shares have risen to an all-time high following a grim performance after the firm floated last July.

China's inflation rate hit a two-year high in October at 4.4%, driven by an increase in food prices.

UK retail sales fell by 0.5% in August, surprising economists who had expected a 0.3% rise.

The Global Bond sector reached its highest ever monthly sales figure in July, according to the Investment Management Association.

Cazenove has promoted Rob Thorpe to the newly-created head of UK retail position.

Britain's high street saw a marked improvement in sales volumes in May, according to the British Retail Consortium and KPMG's Retail Sales Monitor.

UK retail sales rose by a worse than expected 0.4% from February to March, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show.