The FTSE 100 Index was near to a three-year low today after weaker banking shares pushed the top flight down another 1.8%.

Much-needed gains for retailers Marks & Spencer and Next failed to halt a London market slide today as weaker mining stocks weighed on trading.

Michael Page International today said it had rejected rival Adecco’s attempts to buy the company with a deal valuing the business at £1.3bn (€1.64bn).

Sharply lower oil prices helped the London market break a three-day losing streak today as the blue chip share index rallied 2.5%.

Blue-chip stocks were cheered by softer oil prices today as the London market gained more than 1%.

Swiss employment firm Adecco said that it has postponed publishing its 2003 full-year and first-quarter 2004 results, pending completion of an independent review and continuing audit work.

World-wide recruitment firm Adecco is to publish its delayed 2003 results on 20 April.

Adecco, the world's biggest Temporary staff agency, said today its chief financial officer Felix Weber and the head of its North American Adecco Staffing business, Julio Arrieta, had resigned.

Worldwide recruitment group Adecco has delayed the publication of its 2003 full year accounts, originally planned for February 4, due to problems with its accounts.

Britain’s super-rich appear to be weathering the economic storm after a report today showed the combined wealth of the wealthiest 300 people in Britain rose by 5% last year.

Adecco, one of the world’s largest employment services company, has acquired 100 percent of MarketREACH, a multilingual recruitment company with sales revenue understood to be in the order of Euro 1 million per annum.