Japan

Banks led the FTSE to an early gain in Thursday trade following reports the Bank of America (BoA) is poised to repay its $45bn US government debt.

UBS has listed an ETF tracking Japan on the XTF segment of the Deutsche Boerse.

The Bank of Japan has announced a number of measures to help tackle deflation and stimulate the economy.

Britain risks a "public debt spiral" unless the Government takes "drastic" action to slash its deficit, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

The FTSE 100 has opened lower this morning despite three-figure gains on Wall Street overnight.

The US dollar has fallen to a one-year low against the euro ahead of the G20 and Federal Reserve meetings.

The FTSE 100 slipped slightly this morning after Wall Street's recent rally stalled overnight.

Lloyds Banking Group, the part-nationalised banking group, confirmed today that it has gone into talks with the Treasury about changing the terms of its participation in the Government's insurance scheme for toxic assets.

Japan has joined a host of countries which have escaped the grip of recession, yet Aberdeen Asset Management warns the nation's problems are more deeply entrenched than its peers.

Deutsche Bank has listed its first range of six db x-trackers ETFs on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.