Business Blog

* Japanese shares lead most Asian markets higher* Fed pledges to be patient on withdrawing stimulus* Wall St racks up biggest daily gain this year* Treasury yields jump, give U.S. dollar a boostBy Marc JonesLONDON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - The Swiss franc tumbled on Thursday as its central bank slapped a charge on deposits, wary of a flood of money exiting Russia and the likely pressure from the euro zo

Thursday, Dec 18 - The Islamic Finance Gateway (IFG) Briefing, published from Sunday to Thursday, carries the latest market-moving news and data for institutions offering Islamic financial services. You can view the full IFG briefin...

While most of us will be relaxing on Christmas Day, spare a thought for the many people who will be working.

(Updates with Wall St jump, Fed policy statement and latest prices)* Federal Reserve signals 2015 rate increases* U.S. share indexes up more then 1 percent* Oil prices increase, rouble gainsBy Michael ConnorNEW YORK, Dec 17 (Reuters) - U.S. stock prices jumped and the dollar strengthened on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve signaled America&aposs economy was strong enough to handle interest rate

The US Federal Reserve leaves interest rates on hold and says it "can be patient" over any decision to raise them, sending stocks higher.

More shares in Lloyds Banking Group are to be sold by the government, in a move which could raise up to £3bn.