Barclays reveals £5,2bn profit

Barclays has revealed a profits haul of £5.2bn for 2013 after the banking giant took the unusual step of announcing its headline figures a day early.

The stock market disclosure came after a report in today’s Financial Times that the bank was set to announce a one-third fall in operating profits to £5.17 billion, alongside a trebling in bottom-line profits to £2.86 billion.