It is still difficult to see interest rates in the UK rising before the next general election.

Frankfurt rarely issues diktats that are helpful to the UK’s banks, but yesterday a rule change meant that taxpayer-backed Royal Bank of Scotland was the order of the day for investors. News of a change to the way the European Central Bank views loans on banks’ balance sheets helped RBS up nearly 4 per cent.

Economic View: I personally find it astounding that the West could have allowed such a build up of debt to occur

The City isn’t known for penny-pinching, but news that a mining company was taking control of spending, slashing bosses’ pay and culling the number of executives sent it to the top of the mid-tier index.

US monetary policy is not on a “preset course” and a “highly accommodative” stance “is appropriate for the foreseeable future,” Ben Bernanke said, in a bid to reassure jittery markets.

US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has introduced the term ‘taper’ to the lexicon of central banking. European Central Bank President Mario Draghi’s stated strategy is “whatever it takes”. Economic Commissioner Olli Rehn recently clarified that European policies were directed at ‘diluting’ not ‘breaking’ the link between banks and sovereigns.

FTSE 100 up by more than 40 points, led by mining stocks as Fed head Ben Bernanke says he's committed to monetary stimulus

A huge surge in bond trading after the United States Federal Reserve shook markets with plans to slow its money-printing programme failed to save broking giant Icap from a City sell-off yesterday.

Shares held on to most of their Mark Carney-inspired gains yesterday, despite  surprisingly strong job figures from the US sparking fears the Federal Reserve would cut its quantitative easing (QE) programme.

The Analyst

Stock market turmoil today claimed the scalp of one of Europe’s biggest IPOs in recent years, dashing hopes of a €1 billion (£850 million) comeback from private equity mogul Guy Hands.

A new era at the Bank of England dawns tomorrow as Canadian Mark Carney takes the reins and prepares for his first decision on interest rates and money-printing within days.

Mark Carney begins work at the Bank of England tomorrow. There is a great temptation, as you can see from the stuff that is being written about the appointment, to see this as leading to a significant shift in policy – something that will enable the UK economy to reach “escape velocity”. The fact that the Bank has been given additional responsibilities for regulating the banking system, making the job on paper at least more powerful, increases the temptation.

A senior American central banker yesterday pushed back against market expectations that the Federal Reserve was set on rolling back its stimulus measures later this year, as new data showed the US economy continued to improve at a moderate pace.