British insurer and asset manager Standard Life has reported strong net inflows for the third quarter as investors looked to increase returns against a backdrop of low interest rates and volatile markets.

Just as the British government is trying to clear a path for the politically sensitive sale of its 39% stake in Lloyds Bank, resentment is brewing among the investors who would be expected to buy the stock.

London’s FTSE 100 Index hovered close to the 6500 mark today after Wall Street’s Dow Jones Industrial Average set a new high last night.