A leading supplier to the construction industry, SIG, says it will shed 900 jobs and close 65 trading sites.

South Korean firm Daewoo says it is leasing a vast tract of land in Madagascar, which will produce half of its corn supply by 2023.

Retailer Marks & Spencer is to hold its first one-day sale in four years in a bid to revive its pre-Christmas trading.

Expectations of another rate cut rise after the release of minutes from the Bank of England meeting which slashed rates to 3%.

The number of Premium Bond prizes is being reduced following the recent cut in the Bank rate to 3%.

Opec members have lost about $700bn (£467bn) because of falling crude prices, the oil cartel’s president is quoted as saying.

The carmakers’ problems are spreading

Japan’s Mazda Motor spends 17.8bn yen to buy back almost 7% of its shares from troubled US carmaker Ford Motor.

The head of Japan’s leading brokerage, Nomura Holdings, suggests that the global liquidity crisis is over.

The Lib Dems want ministers to take radical steps to encourage banks to help to struggling small and medium-sized businesses.