Twitter has set the ball rolling for one of the most eagerly anticipated stock market flotations since Facebook took the plunge last year.

Oil prices have reached their highest level since February following a sharp rise triggered by the threat of military action in Syria.

Buoyant banks helped the FTSE 100 Index return to winning ways as shares in state-backed Lloyds Banking Group passed a key threshold today.

Britain’s loss of its prized AAA credit rating intensified the pressure on sterling today despite another rally for London’s top flight shares index.

Hopes that European leaders had made genuine progress towards stemming the eurozone debt crisis lifted investors’ spirits after yesterday’s banking sector bloodbath.