Aviva's potential 5.6 billion pound ($8.8 billion) purchase of Friends Life reflects a need to consolidate and cut costs in Britain's insurance industry, fund managers said.
United Kingdom
Oil hits four-year low as expectations fade for OPEC cuts
Fading hopes OPEC will cut production when it meets Thursday sent oil prices tumbling to a four-year low and the world stock-market rally paused for Thanksgiving in the United States.
First gene therapy drug sets million-euro price record
The Western world's first gene therapy drug is set to go on sale in Germany with a 1.1 million euro ($1.4 million) price tag, a new record for a medicine to treat a rare disease.
British lawmakers urge EU to stop Sri Lanka trade perks if UN probe not given access
Leading British lawmakers urged the European Union on Thursday to remove preferential trade tariffs from Sri Lanka if it fails to address human rights concerns.
EE owners confirm takeover talks with BT
EE's German and French owners confirmed on Wednesday they were in talks to sell Britain's biggest mobile network operator to BT (BT.L) as part of a wider review of its options. Fixed-line operator BT said on Monday it was in talks with both Telefonica's (TEF.MC) O2 and a rival operator about buying a mobile business.
Latest News
A panel of national representatives reviewed OPEC's oil market outlook for 2015 this week, OPEC sources said, preparing the ground for a policy-setting meeting next week that will decide how to address a looming oversupply of crude.
Britain's Rolls-Royce (RR.L) said it won a $5 billion contract to supply aero engines to power 50 new Airbus (AIR.PA) planes ordered by Delta Air Lines (DAL.N).
Credit rating agency Standard and Poor's said on Wednesday that China's over-priced and over-supplied property market and capital-starved Russian banks were likely to face further downgrades in the coming years.
Today, the minutes of the MPC meeting held on 5th and 6th November was released. The Committee set monetary policy to meet the 2% inflation target in the medium term, and in a way that helped to sustain growth and employment.
Vernalis plc today announces a change to its accounting reference date and financial year end from 31 December to 30 June and provides an update on its cough cold pipeline since it announced its half year result in August.
The oil market has entered a new era with lower Chinese economic growth and booming U.S. shale output, making a return soon to high prices unlikely, the West's energy watchdog said on Friday.
European stocks fell back on Friday and U.S. stocks looked set to open flat after a mixed bag of euro zone growth numbers that showed France and Germany growing marginally but others like Italy still firmly in recession.
Hedge funds specializing in bets on mergers and acquisitions are starting to see investors withdraw funds, prompting them to take a more cautious approach after being caught out by more than 500 corporate deals globally failing this year.
British carrier Flybe Group (FLYB.L) will exit its Finnish joint venture with Finnair (FIA1S.HE) after the companies failed to agree on how to increase the unit's profitability, Finnair said on Wednesday.
