Italy's recent debt problems can be traced back to years of mismanagement by the country's self-serving politicians on both sides of the political fence. Mario Monti's 'technocrat' government, however, offers hope of a short-term financial revival and a long-term rethink of the manner in which Italian politics is conducted.

Central bankers in emerging markets are discovering that they cannot achieve the twin goals of price and financial stability with the single tool of short-term interest rates.

HSBC has not suffered in the global financial crisis as badly as many of its UK counterparts, and it is already well established in the high-growth emerging markets likely to dominate world trade in the coming decades. However, the bank's new chief executive still believes it could be offering better value to HSBC investors.

Keeping Greece in and allowing massive European Central Bank intervention are the best ingredients for saving the eurozone. But the case for common eurozone bonds is less clear.

ABN Amro has come a long way since RBS and Fortis, two of the Dutch bank's three owners, faced collapse in 2008. So when the senior unsecured debt market reopened in late September, the bank stepped forward to issue a €500m, two-year floating rate note, securing a good price, as it attempts to re-establish itself on the international market.

The UK is reported to be sitting on enough shale gas to cover its gas consumption for more than 60 years. But unlike the US, concerns surrounding mineral rights, a greater population density and its impact on the environment means pushing ahead with exploration is easier said than done.