IBT Staff Reporter

Split capital investment trusts could be in line for a renaissance, spurred on by the advent of real estate investment trusts

Strong sales of household goods and a penchant for home shopping helped retail sales rebound in August, suggesting last month's interest rate rise did not deter shoppers.

Shares in AWG jumped more than 11 percent on Thursday after the water company said it had received an approach that could lead to an offer being made for the 2.2 billion pound firm.

Some of America's most prominent investment firms loaded up on shares in dozens of public companies even as the U.S. government stepped up probes into those companies use of option grants.

Retailer John Lewis Partnership on Thursday posted an 11 percent increase in group sales to 3.0 billion pounds

A new agreement was announced today between BP and Gazprom Marketing and Trading, the UK subsidiary of energy giant OAO Gazprom.

House prices rose at their fastest pace in over two years in the three months to August, a survey showed on Thursday

The FTSE 100 rose on Thursday after a stronger Wall Street close, driven by utilities as AWG surged 12 percent on news of a bid approach.

BT Group announced growth targets on Thursday for its Global Services business, which provides IT network services and is the former state monopoly's fastest growing division.

Europe's largest home improvement retailer Kingfisher on Thursday posted a smaller than expected fall in pretax profit and said its UK business should return to profit growth in the second half.

The country's largest insurer Aviva Plc said it would cut 4,000 jobs at its Norwich Union business and deliver annual cost savings of 250 million pounds in 2008.

The Nikkei share average edged up 0.20 percent on Wednesday as Advantest Corp. and other chip stocks rose but consumer loan companies such as Credit Saison Co. fell on a report of tighter accounting rules.

Big oil companies were able to avoid paying the government billions of dollars in royalties normally due on drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico because of bureaucratic bungling at the U.S. Interior Department, the department's inspector general told Congress on Wednesday.

Sony Corp. said on Wednesday it will launch a DVD recorder using Blu-ray technology by the end of the year in Japan, fortifying its lineup of high-definition optical disc products.

High oil prices and the bumper profits they bring mask major underlying threats to the biggest oil companies from higher taxes, difficulties in gaining access to new fields and soaring costs, analysts say.

Google Inc. released new updates for Google Earth on Wednesday allowing users to place overlays on top of it s popular earth viewing software.

Telecommunications company Verizon Communications Inc. said on Wednesday that officials in Montgomery County, Maryland, have agreed to let it sell Web-based video service to local residents and that it may drop its lawsuit against the county for blocking it.

General Motors is partnering with the state of Florida and Inland food stores to boost the use of the bio-friendly E85 ethanol fuel in a bid to promote awareness for its “Live Green, Go Yellow” campaign.

The government is likely to announce an easing of air travel rules next week after security was tightened last month

Shipments of converged mobile phones reached an all time high in the second quarter of 2006, according to data released on Wednesday.

Today it was announced that the British Government will be introducing legislation to ensure that the London Stock Exchange will continue to be governed by what Treasury Secretary Ed Balls described as a “light touch risk based regulatory regime.”

Today Rolls Royce Plc announced that it had struck a deal worth US$800 million with Air China. Air China has chosen to use the Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engine for use on its new fleet of 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

The FTSE was flat on Wednesday as a rise in retailers led by Next and Marks & Spencer failed to inspire and as a lacklustre performance from heavyweight mining and oil stocks weighed.

Workers who enrol in the proposed new national savings system may not be able to easily take existing pension pots with them if they change jobs.

The most jam-packed event at this year's International Monetary Fund-World Bank meeting in Singapore could end up being an indoor protest.

NBC Sports and Web broadcaster MediaZone will announce on Wednesday a joint Internet sports channel offering viewers of a broader array of sports events worldwide, from rugby to big-wave surfing.

Oil dipped back below $64 a barrel on Wednesday as traders await the debate among members of the U.N. nuclear watchdog over Iran's atomic work.

Billionaire financier George Soros pledged $50 million on Wednesday to help the United Nations tackle extreme poverty and AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Wall Street stocks are set for a muted start to Wednesday trade as investors consolidate positions after the push to four-month highs, with crude oil trading at $64 a barrel helping ease inflation concerns.