Retail sales bring scant comfort
Sales on the UK's High Streets fell by a lower-than-expected 0.1% in October, Office for National Statistics figures show.
Recession fears hit stock markets
European and Asian markets fall sharply amid growing concerns that the world economy will enter a protracted downturn.
Rolls-Royce plans 2,000 job cuts
Aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce says it plans to cut between 1,500 and 2,000 jobs in 2009, including 140 in the UK.
UK October budget deficit widens
The UK's public sector net borrowing widened by £1.4bn in October ahead of the pre-Budget report, official figures show.
EU reaches deal on farm reforms
EU ministers agree to reform farm policy by moving more subsidies away from production and liberalising the dairy market.
Revenue's new offshore campaign
Offshore tax dodgers will be facing a second round of investigations by HM Revenue & Customs next year.
October mortgage lending picks up
Mortgage lending rose by nearly 7% between September and October, figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders show.
Peugeot Citroen cuts 2,700 jobs
French car company Peugeot Citroen announces plans to shed 2,700 jobs because of falling demand in Europe.
Oil price hovers at $50 a barrel
Oil prices are hovering around $50 a barrel amid growing fears over a global recession and lower demand for oil.
British teenagers remain optimistic about jobs in face of downturn
Most young people are confident of finding a job despite the economic downturn, a survey finds.
Shop till you prop up the economy, Taiwan residents told
Taiwan's prime minister announces a cash handout for all residents in a bid to try to stave off economic crisis.
Broke, not dim
Some carmakers struggle while others grow
Robert Peston
HBOS: Burt and Mathewson to withdraw
Yugo gone
Serbia's iconic vehicle finally runs out of road
Detroit chill
The carmakers' problems are spreading
Syrian business
Long-isolated Syria warms to tourism in Damascus
Downturn survival
Martha Lane Fox tells entrepreneurs how to survive
Downturn hits newspaper profits
The Daily Mail's publisher reports a 9% fall in full-year profit, while competitors announce a pay freeze and job cuts.
National Grid profit rises in US
UK utility National Grid reports a 4% rise in half-year profit and gave a positive forecast.
RBS shareholders vote on bail-out
Shareholders of the Royal Bank of Scotland will vote later on Thursday on whether to accept a £20bn government bail-out.
Coal power plan for nuclear site
A new coal-burning power plant is being planned for the site of Hunterston nuclear power station.
AstraZeneca axes jobs and plants
Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca says it will cut 1,400 jobs by 2013 and close three European factories in a cost-cutting effort.
Microsoft ends Yahoo buyout talks
Microsoft's boss tells the firm's annual general meeting that it is no longer looking to buy Yahoo.
China fears grow over job losses
Beijing says its employment outlook is "grim", amid concerns of increasing social unrest caused by economic problems.
IMF approves $2.1bn Iceland loan
The International Monetary Fund approves a $2.1bn (£1.4bn) loan for Iceland, after its banking system collapsed in October.
US car bail-out deal sought
US politicians are looking for a compromise plan to aid the country's crisis-ridden car industry.
Government agrees Alitalia sale
The Italian government agrees to sell the bankrupt airline Alitalia to a business consortium, paving the way for a relaunch.
Lloyds TSB approves HBOS deal
Lloyds TSB shareholders vote in favour of taking over HBOS as well as taking bail-out money from the government.
US consumer prices in record fall
US consumer prices dropped by a record 1% in October, sending Wall Street and European markets lower on renewed recession fears.
Migrants' work stocked stores
The migrant workers taken into care following a human trafficking raid in Lincolnshire were harvesting vegetables for a supplier to Tesco and Waitrose, it has emerged.
Falling demand hits BASF profit
The world's largest chemicals firm, BASF, reduces its profit forecast and says it will cut production because of a huge fall in demand.
House sales rise as prices fall
Property sales rose slightly in October, for the second month in a row, the National Association of Estate Agents says.
Premium Bond prize fund is cut
The number of Premium Bond prizes is being reduced following the recent cut in the Bank rate to 3%.
Bank hints at further rate cuts
Expectations of another rate cut rise after the release of minutes from the Bank of England meeting which slashed rates to 3%.
Consumer inflation falls to 4.5%
Official figures show that UK inflation fell from 5.2% to 4.5% in October, as oil prices and transport costs fell.
US shares plunge to five-year low
Wall Street plunges more than 5% on Wednesday to its lowest level in over five years on rising economic worries.
Global liquidity crisis 'is over'
The head of Japan's leading brokerage, Nomura Holdings, suggests that the global liquidity crisis is over.
Spain 'to slide into recession'
Spain is likely to slip into recession in the fourth quarter and stay there into 2009, the Bank of Spain governor says.
Bank hawk defends big rate cut
Monetary Policy Committee member Tim Besley says markets should not have been so surprised by the 1.5% rate cut.
M&S in one-day sale move
Retailer Marks & Spencer is to hold its first one-day sale in four years in a bid to revive its pre-Christmas trading.
Woolworths in stores sale talks
Struggling High Street chain Woolworths confirms that it is in talks about the possible sale of its retail business.
Mazda buys its shares from Ford
Japan's Mazda Motor spends 17.8bn yen to buy back almost 7% of its shares from troubled US carmaker Ford Motor.
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