Inflation and unemployment figures and the annual meetings of British Airways and Marks & Spencer should make up for a quiet results schedule on the London market this week.

Tesco defended the pay packet of its US boss today after a lobby group urged shareholders to register a protest vote at the supermarket’s annual meeting.

INDEPENDENT News & Media (INM) has appointed Vincent Crowley to the post of group chief operating officer, with immediate effect.

Oil major Royal Dutch Shell could face protests over its huge awards for top directors despite failing to meet performance targets, it was revealed today.

US stocks felt the pull of political concerns yesterday, as comments from President Bush about Iraq reinforced market nervousness and muted optimism from a better-than-expected economic report.