If a week can be a long time in politics, in financial markets it can make investors feel as though their whole world has been turned upside down.For years, analysts have consistently peddled the line that higher - or at least rising - interest rates are positive for banks because it means they can generate a bigger margin on their lending.Instead, last week's collapse of Silicon Valley Bank has s

The FTSE 100 edged up 0.1% at 7,465 points while the mid-cap FTSE 250 was up 0.3% at 21,916 points, bucking the trend in Asian and Europe where share prices slipped on renewed coronavirus worries in Japan and South Korea.Brent oil prices were 0.3% lower at $58.6 and the pound was weaker by 0.3% at 1.288 to the dollar.Topping the FTSE leader board was knee to hip replacement medical device company

London's FTSE 100 jumped up 55.7 points to 7,605 on Monday as a spate of corporate action put a new lease of life in the market. Separate deals involving Just Eat (JE.) and London Stock Exchange (LSE) as well as an increase in private equity activity this year have got investors excited over the prospect of further mergers & acquisitions (M&A). Investors also bid up shares in various unloved large

Bank of Georgia's (BGEO) first half results show a 29% increase in pre-tax profits to 232.6m Georgian lari (£71.1m).A lot has happened in the six months to June 30 2018, not least the company splitting itself in two. This came into effect at the end of May, the original BGEO business separating its retail banking arm (Bank of Georgia) from its higher risk investment operation, now called Georgia