Fears over the health of the US economy and worries over a possible bird flu pandemic sent investors crashing down to earth today as global stock markets plunged.

Sports Direct International is famous for flogging large amounts of tracksuits and trainers, but yesterday its bosses were making a name for themselves with the sale of large chunks of shares. David Forsey, chief executive, and the finance chief, Robert Mellors, have sold all their shares ahead of next month's reward scheme which will see them receive 1 million new shares in the new financial year.

ENRC's founding trio of major shareholders are collectively about $100m (£66m) out of pocket after a $1.5bn charge plunged the Kazakh-focused miner into the red last year.

Countrywide got off to a lively start on the London Stock Exchange yesterday as shares in Britain's biggest estate agent raced up 13 per cent to 397p, valuing the business at £848m. The shares had already been priced at the top of the range at 350p and experts said the high first-day premium bodes well for the £1.3bn flotation of Esure at the end of this week. The insurer is expected to be priced at the top of a 275p to 310p range today in time for trading to start tomorrow.

Manufacturing companies in the FTSE 100 have more women on their boards compared with the overall index but employ fewer women professionals than in most other industries.

Investors are turning to classic cars as they don't attract capital gains tax. With CGT charged at 28 per cent for higher-rate taxpayers, and 18 per cent otherwise, savings can be huge.

Panic over! The FTSE 100 is on the march again. Time to stop hoarding tins, dusting off your gas masks and building makeshift shelters at the bottom of the garden. Armageddon is on hold, for now. Wednesday's mini wobble, led by ex-dividend stocks such as Standard Chartered, seemed light years away yesterday as the blue-chip index broke back through the 6,500 mark. European stocks also reached five-year highs as EU policymakers met in Brussels to dream up the region's latest rescue plan.

In the tug of war that has been played out between the doomsayers and the optimists about the direction of the Footsie, the bulls have gained a heavyweight backer. Goldman Sachs predicted that the FTSE 100 will hit all-time highs within 12 months. The vampire-squid bank reckons the benchmark index will punch through the 6,999 level last seen more than a decade ago on the eve of the millennium, and roar all the way to 7,200.

BHP Billiton faces the threat of a multimillion-dollar fine after American and Australian anti-corruption authorities began to investigate allegations that it provided inducements, hospitality and gifts to Chinese officials in the run-up to the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games.

How will punters be able to get their hands on shares in the world's largest silver producer? Mexico's Fresnillo was discussing just that today. The miner is one of a handful of groups on the benchmark index facing a ticking clock – the deadline for their free float to reach 25 per cent is the end of the year.

The City was piling into Vodafone again today and it wasn't because of the FTSE 100 titan's new contract to supply smartphones to New Zealand's police officers. Welcome though the news may be to the Kiwi law enforcement fraternity, Voda has been the blue-chip story of the week for other reasons: namely speculation over its 45 per cent stake in United States operator Verizon Wireless.

Wolseley has became the latest company to close its final-salary pension scheme to existing members.

Shares in the London Stock Exchange celebrated their imminent promotion into the blue-chip index by reaching a five-year high. The group, which is set to finalise the detail of its £366m deal to buy 60 per cent of the clearing house LCH Clearnet tomorrow, saw its shares jump 27p to 1,371p.

Wall Street shrugs off weakness of US economy to continue upward trend