Scottish independence: George Osborne will rule out currency union

UK Chancellor George Osborne will rule out a formal currency union with an independent Scotland, government sources have told the BBC. His position will also be backed by Labour shadow chancellor Ed Balls and Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander.

Eurozone watchdog says some banks should go under: FT

(Reuters) - Some of the euro zone's lenders have no future and should be allowed to go under if they fail a health check, the bloc's new banking supervisor told the Financial Times, underscoring a tougher approach to banking oversight.

Business optimism highest for 22 years, says BDO survey

Business optimism in the UK is at its highest level in 22 years, a survey by business consultants BDO has found.

Here comes the euro zone growth data

LONDON (Reuters) - The euro zone and its constituent parts will report fourth quarter economic growth numbers at the end of the week, offering policy makers at the European Central Bank a needed snapshot of the bloc's underlying strength. Recent evidence has been mixed.

Eurozone: record German trade surplus, huge French deficit

Germany, Europe's biggest economy, notched up a trade surplus of 198.9 billion euros ($270 billion) in 2013, the highest since foreign trade data have been compiled.