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• Data theft hits 24,000 HSBC clients
  HSBC has revealed that a former employee stole the personal details of around 24,000 clients of its private bank in Switzerland in a major security breach three years ago.
  
  
• Sarkozy hedges his bets on UK election outcome
  President Nicolas Sarkozy and other senior figures in France’s governing UMP party are stepping up their contact with Conservative leader David Cameron and his team
  
  
• Jitters over economy curtail risk appetite
  Global Markets Overview: Equities mark time as inflation data from China reawaken fears over monetary tightening
  
  
• BP strikes $7bn Brazil oil deal
  The energy group is set to make its first move into the deep waters off the South American country with a $7bn deal to buy oil and gas assets put up for sale by Devon Energy of the US
  
  
• Greek unions stage 24-hour strike
  Public transport and services shut down across Athens as Greece’s three biggest trade unions staged a 24-hour strike to protest against the socialist government’s latest package of pay cuts and tax increases
  
  
• Old Mutual puts US life business up for sale
  Insurer confirms it is exploring a sale of its US life assurance arm, adding that it also envisages an initial public offering of shares in its US asset management business
  
  
• China data spur talk of further tightening
  Pressure on Beijing to begin raising interest rates and to allow the renminbi to appreciate against the US dollar is set to rise as inflation jumped 2.7 per cent last month from a year before
  
  
• Pandit sees revival of Citi’s fortunes
  Vikram Pandit, Citigroup’s chief executive, will raise the prospect of the US bank earning as much as $20bn from its core business within a few years, a big increase from current levels that would mark a sharp revival in Citi’s fortunes
  
  
• Call for ban on CDS speculation
  Germany and France have called on the European Union to consider banning speculative trading in credit default swaps and set up a compulsory register of derivatives trading
  
  
• Geithner warns of rift over regulation
  Tim Geithner, US Treasury secretary, has delivered a blunt warning to the European Commission that its plans to regulate the hedge fund and private equity industries could cause a transatlantic rift by discriminating against US groups