US banking shares decline sharply
US indexes see their biggest fall for almost two months, with banking shares ending sharply lower.

IBM bucks gloom with rosy outlook
IBM's latest quarterly profits rise 12% as the technology services firm issues a rosy forecast for 2009.

Miner BHP to lay off 6,000 staff
The world's biggest mining group, BHP Billiton, says it will cut some 6,000 jobs worldwide to cope with falling demand.

AIG ends Man Utd sponsorship deal
The troubled US insurer AIG will not renew its shirt sponsorship deal with Manchester United when it runs out in May 2010.

Fiat and Chrysler create alliance
Italian carmaker Fiat signs a global strategic alliance with Chrysler, taking a 35% share in the troubled US giant.

France mulls more car sector help
France is considering providing car firms with up to 6bn euros in additional state aid, a french news agency reports.

German retailer cuts 15,000 jobs
Germany's largest retailer, Metro, is planning to cut 15,000 jobs or 5% of its workforce due to the economic slowdown.

Ireland to keep two banks private
The Irish government plans to keep the country's biggest lenders, Allied Irish Banks and Bank of Ireland, private.

Saudi industrial in profits fall
Saudi industrial and petrochemical firm Sabic sees profits steeply decline in the fourth quarter as demand drops.

Russia opens gas taps to Europe
Russian starts pumping gas to Ukraine and on to Europe, raising hopes of an end to weeks of shortages.

Love my tender - bid to force English shops to take Scottish banknotes
An attempt is to be made at Westminster to make it legally binding for shops and businesses in England to accept Scottish banknotes.

Life after boom
Crisis-hit Russians learn how to survive a downturn

Obama's choices
The tough economic challenges facing the new president

Messenger shot
Business blogger who got it right held in South Korea

Economic oracles
Top experts plot the path for economic recovery

The Obama factor
Which shares will win or lose under Barack Obama?

Bank warns of continuing slowdown
The Bank of England's governor warns business leaders it remains uncertain how long it will be before an economic recovery.

Scots economy 'clearly weakening'
Scotland's economy is weakening in the face of the financial crisis, the Scottish Government's chief economic adviser warns.

Britannia and Co-op are to merge
Britannia Building Society and Co-operative Financial Services are merging to form a new "super-mutual".

Ofcom rejects licence fee plan
The media watchdog Ofcom rejects proposals for the BBC to give some existing licence fee money to other broadcasters.

UK oil explorers in Ugandan find
Oil explorers Heritage and Tullow report a "world class discovery" of oil in Uganda.

Areva wins Niger uranium licence
French nuclear energy group Areva is awarded a licence to build and operate a uranium mine in Niger.

US firm files complaint about IBM
US computer company T3 Technologies says it has filed a complaint against IBM with the European Commission.

Hertz says over 4,000 jobs to go
Car rental firm Hertz cuts more than 4,000 jobs amid slowing demand as businesses and consumers cut back on travel.

Japan's machinery orders plunge
Japanese machinery orders, a key indicator of corporate activity, saw their steepest monthly fall on record in November.

RBS sells Bank of China holding
Royal Bank of Scotland raises $2.34bn (£1.6bn) by selling its entire stake in Bank of China, the mainland's third biggest lender.

Sick leave staff win holiday case
Employees on long-term sick leave are entitled to take all holiday accrued when they return to work, European judges say.

Strike at Alitalia hits flights
Italy's troubled airline Alitalia has to cancel flights after facing its first official strike less than a week after its relaunch as a privately-owned company.

Oil price rises on Gaza conflict
Oil rises briefly above $48 a barrel on fears of heightened Middle East tension after Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Oil rises on Middle East tensions
Crude oil prices rise on concerns Israel's attacks on Hamas could threaten supplies from the Middle East.

Eurozone interest rates cut to 2%
The European Central Bank (ECB) cuts eurozone interest rates to 2% as it continues efforts to aid an economic recovery.

Satyam shares plunge by a third
Shares of fraud-hit Satyam Computers in India slump by a third after a board member rules out accepting government money.