Updated 5:55am 21 May 2013

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Persimmon reveals profits jump

PERSIMMON hailed an "excellent" 65% hike in profits today as it overcame a sluggish market by focusing on building family homes in affluent areas.Read

Rights deal boosts Astrazeneca

DRUG giant AstraZeneca lifted full-year earnings targets today after sealing a multi-million pound deal to sell marketing rights for its heartburn pill to US rival Pfizer.Read

Cab maker Manganese Bronze admits accounts blunder

THE maker of iconic London black taxis today revealed a near £4 million hole in its accounts and warned of mounting losses.Read

Iran claim wipes £6bn off Standard

MORE than £6 billion was wiped from the value of Standard Chartered today after the banking giant was accused of hiding 250 billion US dollars (£160 billion) of transactions with the Iranian government.Read

Pasty tax win fails to boost Greggs

BAKERY chain Greggs’ success in fighting off the Government’s unpopular pasty tax failed to rub off on the company’s sales figures today.Read

Standard Chartered slumps as market opens

STANDARD Chartered slid by as much as 19% today after the UK bank was accused of hiding 250 billion US dollars (£160 billion) of transactions with Iran.Read

Airline faces winter woe

RYANAIR boss Michael O’Leary admitted that the low-cost airline was braced for a difficult winter as austerity measures and the eurozone crisis hit demand.Read

JJB recruits La Senza director

A FORMER director of lingerie chain La Senza has been appointed to lead the turnaround strategy at another troubled retailer, JJB Sports.Read

London under pressure after Germany hit with negative outlook

The London market continued to come under pressure today after a credit rating agency hit Germany with a negative outlook and added to ongoing fears over the future of the eurozone.Read

Rake pulls out of Barclays race

THE leadership crisis at Barclays continued to plague the embattled bank after the frontrunner for the role of chairman confirmed his withdrawal from the race.Read

Bankers’ backing

SEVEN more banks have agreed to review the sale of complex interest rate hedging products to some small and medium-sized businesses and pay compensation where mis-selling occurred, the financial watchdog said.Read

City needs culture shift, says report

A REPORT into the UK financial sector has called for a “much needed shift in culture” to tackle the City’s obsession with short-term rewards.Read

HSBC 'allowed money laundering'

LAX controls at HSBC allowed Mexican drug cartels to launder billions of dollars through the bank’s US operations, an investigation has found.Read

Wolseley mulls exit from France

BUILDING supplies firm Wolseley is poised to exit one of its biggest trading regions due to continued difficult trading conditions.Read

Marks & Spencer overhaul top team after poor performance

Retailer Marks & Spencer overhauled its top team today after reporting its worst performance in non-food sales for more than three years.Read

Mood improves in city as Spanish Euro bail out begins

A reshuffle of Marks & Spencer’s top team has eased the pressure on chief executive Marc Bolland despite more sales woe today.Read

Asda jostle with M&S as firms look to finance businesses

The retail sector’s drive to win business from Britain’s battered banks continued today with the launch of a new personal finance brand.Read

Unsettled weather dampens N Brown

THE wettest April to June period on record has hit ladieswear sales at catalogue and online shopping group N Brown, the company said today.Read

Bob Diamond quits as Barclays boss

BARCLAYS chief executive Bob Diamond resigned with immediate effect today in the wake of the rate-rigging scandal.Read

Premier Inn and Costa power Whitbread results

THE rapid growth of Premier Inn and coffee chain Costa continued today after their owner Whitbread reported better-than-expected sales figures.Read