Bargain hunters looking for a cheap way to invest in a potential bid target were told to dial into Cable & Wireless Worldwide (CWW) yesterday, as the telecommunications group advanced up the mid-tier index.

The US authorities are considering invoking anti-cartel laws against some of the world's biggest banks, in an investigation into whether they colluded to manipulate interest rates during the credit crisis.

Barclays is at the centre of an investigation into whether banks manipulated wholesale borrowing costs at the height of the credit crunch, it was reported today.

Hopes that Glencore may be readying itself for a listing received a boost last night as it emerged that the Swiss commodities trader was close to strengthening its team of financial advisers ahead of a potential flotation in London and Hong Kong.

Anonymous, the internet hacking group sympathetic to WikiLeaks, has revealed internal Bank of America (BofA) email correspondence purporting to show employees of a subsidiary, Balboa Insurance, discussing removing documents from files relating to homes insured by the company.

Debt-laden property management company Peverel has gone into administration in a further blow to the empire of the billionaire Tchenguiz brothers.

Who needs real dividends when you can have peace dividends (otherwise known as a period of enhanced returns thanks to afailure to conduct misguided M&A)? That appears to be the message from Brian Moynihan, the chief executive of struggling Bank of America, who welcomed analysts to an investor day at the bank with this little gem ofwisdom: "I can't stress enough to you how much of a peace dividend we'll get without mergers; that peace dividend is effectively apermanent dividend."

Doubt was cast yesterday on the introduction of plain packaging for cigarettes after the Government gave the idea only lukewarm support.

Afghan treasures looted from Kabul have come to light nearly 20 years after they were stolen, thanks to an unknown benefactor.

More bad news for Saif Gaddafi, the Libyan leader's son. As if the small matter of the uprising over dad's leadership isn't enough to worry about, the World Economic Forum, best known for its annual shindig of power brokers in Davos, Switzerland, has dropped him as one of its "Young Global Leaders". That means no more invites to Davos for the foreseeable future, which may come as something of a relief to the Swiss. Their relations with Libya have been strained since 2008, when the Geneva authorities briefly locked up Hannibal Gaddafi, Saif's brother, on charges of mistreating his servants.

The computer hackers' collective Anonymous has uncovered a proposal by a consortium of private contractors to attack and discredit WikiLeaks.

Banco Santander moved to gain full control of Bank Zachodni, offering to buy out minority investors in a deal that valued the Polish lender at $5.7bn (£3.5bn).