Aegon UK on track to achieve market share targets

Aegon UK, the life and pensions giant which employs some 3000 staff in Edinburgh, said it was on track to meet its targets for market share and new business growth after a strong first nine months.

	Gold and oil shoot higher as sterling pounds dollar
	The pound rocketed through the $2.10 barrier yesterday for the first time since 1981, as traders continued their assault on the greenback and oil struck yet another new high, edging ever closer to the triple-digit mark.

S&N and Carlsberg at odds over BBH

Scottish & Newcastle and its former partner-turned-bidder Carlsberg appeared at odds yesterday over the prospects for their Eastern European joint venture.

	Gio Benedetti wraps up MBO worth £21m
	Gio Benedetti, the Italian-Scots entrepreneur, has sold his revolutionary cling film and dispenser business for £21m to a management buy-out team that includes himself.

Which naughty Fido left a mess at the circus?

Alf Young on Tuesday: The tripartite memorandum of understanding between the Treasury, the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority, governing who should be doing what in pursuit of financial stability, is dripping with warm, reassuring words.

Retire to Glasgow

If you want to boost your retirement income it is a good idea to move to Glasgow. Yesterday insurer Legal & General started using customer postcodes as an additional factor, alongside age and gender, when quoting annuity rates.

Rates cut by MPC seen as unlikely

City pundits expect the Bank of England to keep interest rates steady at 5.75% when it announces its latest policy decision today despite recent turbulence in the financial markets sparked by the US sub-prime mortgage crisis, record oil prices and a credit squeeze.

Melrose Resources aims to step up a division

David Thomas, chief executive of Melrose Resources, said the oil and gas independent was poised to step up a division helped by strong organic growth in operations in places like Egypt and the United States.

FirstGroup targets more cost savings from US operation

FirstGroup executives believe the company is insulated from a rising dollar, with any increase in fuel costs offset by rises in the worth of its recently-enlarged North American ventures.

SLI posts record sales of mutual funds

Standard Life Investments (SLI) shrugged off the turmoil affecting financial markets to post record sales of mutual funds to retail investors in the third quarter.

Lyon joins board of Valiant Petroleum

Kevin Lyon, formerly head of private equity giant 3i's operations in Scotland, has added another directorship to his portfolio of non-executive roles.

Reservation numbers increase, but All-Hotels suffers

Losses widened at the All- Hotels internet bookings business, a former leading light of the Scottish technology scene which is now owned by US private equity funds.

Scotland’s aerospace industry flies high with double boost

Scotland's aerospace industry received a double boost yesterday after Rolls-Royce secured a major engines order and Spirit AeroSystems expanded the operations of its Prestwick facility.

Oil and gas companies court servicemen on return to civvy street

More than 400 servicemen, including many who have recently fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, are being courted by oil and gas companies trying to ease the skills shortage in the industry.

	SMG shares bounce after rights issue announced
	SMG chief Rob Woodward yesterday succeeded in convincing panicked shareholders that a proposed £95.1m rights issue that would pay off much of its debt was in their long-term interests.

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