Principal content
Barclays and ABN in race to agree merger
Barclays and ABN Amro have given themselves 48 hours to agree a merger after a rival consortium proposed a three-way break-up of the Dutch bank.
Ministers voice concern over World Bank
Wolfowitz fights rearguard action
Europeans support Royal for president
Poll reveals backing of Socialist party contender
Related content and features
Citigroup hedge fund chief set to depart
Barr move follows Pandit appointment
Intesa draws up list of targets
Bank makes offer for Tuscan lender
Low-cost airlines to tackle long-haul carriers
Changes could force wrenching change upon sector
APP bond ruling faces challenge
Investors seek judicial review
Siemens seeks ‘concrete offers’ for VDO
Move suggests sale is much more likely
China ups the ante on HK listings
Companies will have to raise $1bn to list in HK
JPMorgan claims shareholders’ proxies
Unusual step on behalf of 35,000 investors
Lex
Selling ABN Amro
At last. After five years of underperformance, ABN Amro’s share price is finally moving in the right direction.
Columnist
Prince’s last chance to steer the ship

Citigroup has suffered from instability and internal division for the past five years and it could do with a period of calm, writes John Gapper.
Markets Preview
Rising prices expected to sway rate decision
UK inflation remains above the Bank of England’s target and is expected to remain unchanged at 2.8 per cent in March’s data. This week’s releases should illustrate if pricing pressures are diminishing as policymakers expect.
Comment
Ownership is not the real problem with China

It is hard to look at China’s foreign direct investment record and conclude that its practices are scaring away investors, writes Alan Beattie.
The fiscal fallacy of decoupling from America

In a globalised world there are more channels that can spread disaster. Trade is no longer the most important, writes Wolfgang Munchau.