Boom and bust

London’s leading shares index fell 4.5 per cent today, the 9th biggest fall in its history, amid fears the world is sliding into a double dip recession.

France, Italy, Spain and Belgium impose a ban on short-selling financial stocks in a bid to restore confidence to the markets.

Business Correspondent Siobhan Kennedy suggests the ban on short-selling in France, Belgium, Spain and Italy could do more harm than good.

Wall Street stocks slumped on Wednesday but Asian and European markets appear to be weathering the storm as uncertainty over the US and eurozone economies continues.

Wall Street rallies after the United States Government restores confidence by taking the unprecedented step of pledging to hold US interest rates near zero for two years.

The leading index of shares on London markets dips below 5,000 for the first time in a year amid continuing turmoil in global trading.

The financial crises in the US and the eurozone have inspired a spate of YouTube videos which use hip hop to express sophisticated economic concepts.

It might be the weather, troubles abroad – or just the legacy of the past. But there often seems to be a reason why the Government’s plans for the economy never go quite to plan.

An emergency summit reaches a deal on a new bailout package for struggling Greece, rallying the markets and bringing the eurozone back from the economic brink.

As Italy prepares to sign off its austerity budget, Channel 4 News looks at the countries in Europe facing the most pain from spending cuts and tax rises.

Can the Republicans and Democrats agree on a deal to avoid what experts have branded a “huge financial calamity” for the United States? Felicity Spector takes a look.

Habitat stores outside London are put into administration threatening 900 jobs in the indebted furniture chain, while a £25m deal sees branches in the capital sold to the owner of Argos.

As a charity reveals state-owned RBS loaned money to a manufacturer of banned munitions, could Nick Clegg’s shares-for-all idea prevent this happening again? Channel 4 News investigates.

Ahead of a confidence vote in Greece’s government, which is battling to save the country’s economy, a leading economist tells Channel 4 News a Greek debt default is “almost inevitable”.

It’s Chancellor George Osborne’s first full Budget. But as the Government tries to balance growth with the “age of austerity”, what will it deliver? Channel 4 News speaks to the experts.