As traders were hit by a bloodbath on the market, even the prospect of takeover activity among the small-cap energy groups failed to prompt risers... more
Buy everything. That seemed to be the mantra among investors today, sending the FTSE 100 back above the 6000 barrier, gold to a record high and silver to prices not seen since 1980... more
It's been a good three months for the insurance sector as investors have finally come to understand they are not banks and that this is a good thing... more
Pharmaceuticals firm Goldshield might have understated how much profit it made for several years before management bought the company for £179 million in December... more
Restricting the air supply: Aviva took £1bn of property off the market, including its half-share in Bentalls, to avoid an overheated market as property rises... more
Life insurers were shining again today as bid rumours continued to ignite the sector and Deutsche Bank gave a glowing verdict on its prospects ... more
Social networking sites are like internet shopping for burglars with users revealing details about their home and whereabouts to complete strangers, an insurer warned... more
One of Lord Foster's most daring designs to date - an office block resembling Darth Vader's helmet - is unlikely to be built after its developers fell victim to the credit crunch... more
From the very first days of this crisis, Legal & General’s Tim Breedon has understood that it is about capital. Hence the tough decision to slash the dividend — tough for the shareholders to accept, tough to recommend but, in a capital-constrained world, a prudent move ... more
Last time we were in recession in the Nineties, boards were so scared of the likely reaction of institutional investors if they suggested a dividend cut that they continued paying, even when the profits were not there, by dipping into reserves accumulated in the earlier good times ... more
There were yet more job cuts in the insurance industry today when Legal & General said it would axe another 560 positions, mostly in call centres ... more
Life assurer Aviva’s generous dividend policy was back in the spotlight today after one of its fiercest rivals, Legal & General, decided to cut its payout to shareholders in order to conserve £120 million of cash.... more
Legal & General was the biggest blue-chip casualty today, losing 3.5p to 41.4p ahead of results tomorrow that are expected to produce a cut in the payout to shareholders.... more
After two years in which the market value of the banking sector as measured by the FTSE 100 index has gone from £325 billion to £35 billion, it is surprising how rarely people ask what the institutional shareholders were doing when the bank managements were setting off down the path to destruction... more
Prudential shares are back in demand, rising 11½p to 296½p today amid mounting speculation its UK insurance business could be the first target of entrepreneur Clive Cowdery's investment vehicle Resolution... more
Insurance: Legal & General policyholders became the latest people to share in the pain of the giant insurer as it slashed their annual and terminal bonus rates for the second time in five months... more
Shares on the London stock market briefly dropped back below the important 4000 resistance level today for the first time since October, as the short-sellers appeared to regain the upper hand in Legal & General.... more
Peter Chambers, who as head of the investment arm of Legal & General is one of the most influential shareholders in the country, told the Treasury Select Committee last week how difficult it was to get boards and chief executives of companies to listen to the concerns of shareholders and act upon them... more
Renewed fears about the financial sector hammered leading insurance groups, with investors increasingly worried about the insurance world's exposure to corporate debt, especially bank bonds. ... more
Exclusive: After high-profile allegations this season, Charlton's manager is pleased the issue is now being addressed but says the authorities still have plenty of work to do
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