Standard Life bows out of takeover battle for Resolution
	Standard Life has scrapped its £4.9bn battle for Resolution - a move widely anticipated after a drop in its shares slashed the value of its bid.

High hopes for Inchinnan as Rolls-Royce wins £4bn order

Rolls-Royce yesterday said it had won a £4bn order from fast-growing Gulf airline Emirates for engines for up to 120 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft.

Go-getting the most out of interiors

SME Focus: The experience of David Eastlake, who runs specialist interiors company The Eastlake Group, suggests that those who hold their nerve when things look scary can reap big rewards.

Factoring in some fairness

Bank charges, free school meals, warrant sales, homelessness and breastfeeding are just some of the issues into which Mike Dailly has waded in recent years.

Early Christmas for gold bugs

Analysis: Gold bugs are enjoying an early Christmas, with the price of the yellow metal surging ahead on an almost daily basis. The metal has leaped more than 32% in three months.

Chambers brings tiers of joy for D&W and MMS

Law firms Dundas & Wilson and Maclay Murray & Spens have emerged as the most accomplished corporate and commercial players in Scotland.

AWP set to power ahead

One of Scotland's first commercial wood pellet plants will begin production next month on an estate in the north-east. Arbuthnott Wood Pellets has taken delivery of £1m worth of state-of-the-art building and equipment.

	Shares in Barclays suspended as credit crisis shakes markets
	Shares in banking heavyweight Barclays were suspended temporarily yesterday following a sudden plunge, as fears over the fall-out from the global credit crisis sent markets tumbling again.

Clydesdale chief claims benefits of turnaround strategy

Clydesdale Bank chief Lynne Peacock believes the UK operations of parent company National Australia Bank can ride out any slump in the housing market as she revealed pre-tax profits of £373m.

A sustainable way to go on

Saturday Interview: Graham Barnet's Sigma Technology raised £10m on flotation and then the bubble burst, but now it’s back on top.

Trade deficit hits record £7.75bn

The UK's goods trade gap with the world soared to a record high in September, the Office for National Statistics showed yesterday, suggesting the strong pound may be having a negative impact on exporters.

	Bank’s steady hand only to be expected
	The Bank of England kept its benchmark interest rate steady at 5.75% yesterday, disappointing business leaders and investors who were clamouring for a cut in borrowing costs.

Crude prices ease as US economic worries drag

Oil prices eased yesterday as comments from the US Federal Reserve chairman stirred concerns about the health of the world’s top economy and dragged prices further away from the $100 milestone.

BHP bid excites City but Rio plays it cool

A titanic takeover battle in the mining sector loomed last night after BHP Billiton made a long-awaited bid approach to rival Rio Tinto in a move aimed at creating a $350bn (£140bn) mining group, but Rio rejected the all-share proposal as too low.

Scots sporting successes fuel Punch results

Managers at Punch Taverns yesterday raised a glass to Scotland's unexpected run of football success after they reported sporting events were driving people into its pubs north of the border.

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