The utility giant was among the biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 after US investment bank Jefferies downgraded its stock from 'buy' to 'hold' and slashed earnings forecasts by a third.

On Monday evening, the value of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil, or Texas Light Sweet, declined to an unprecedented MINUS $40.32. It was the blackest of days for black gold.

Councils have handed out £6.1bn, almost half the £12.3bn they received from Government this month. Grants of up to £25,000 have been received by 491,725 small businesses

Gamesys was praised for acknowledging that children and vulnerable customers who are bored are being placed at risk by the lockdown. Betting companies have been urged to protect players.

Taylor Wimpey was the top riser on the FTSE 100 after it said it was still selling homes virtually, adding its order book was at £2.7bn at the end of last week, up from £2.4bn the same time last year.

While 38,186 firms have applied for a Government-backed loan through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans Scheme, just 16,624 have been approved by High Street banks.

The online food delivery firm's merger got the go-ahead from the Competition and Markets Authority, who was 'satisfied there are no competition concerns' after its probe of the deal.

India's TVS Motor, which bought the British brand out of administration for £16m earlier this month, is reportedly set to invest tens of millions of pounds in the luxury motorbike maker.

Chief exec Alan Jope said he expects the pandemic to prompt lasting changes in behaviour, with strong demand for cleaning products set to continue while the dining industry could face a slow recovery.

Standard Life Aberdeen Chief exec Keith Skeoch has come to the view that attending next January would be insensitive to the grim realities of life in the pandemic for millions of ordinary people.

Blackmore Bond had failed to hand out interest payments to its investors since October last year. Assurances that it would resume the payments in 2020 fell by the wayside.

The Bank of England is likely to keep rates frozen at the all-time low of 0.1 per cent until at least the end of 2021, according to a poll of economists by Reuters.

From the market low on 18 March to the start of the Easter weekend on 9 April, junior market-listed firms announced over £500million of funding.

The education group will hand back £102m to shareholders - or 13.5p per share - after boss John Fallon insisted the company was in a 'strong financial position'.

Sales at the US lingerie business have suffered as shoppers shy away from the brand, which is embodied by the scantily clad models who perform in its annual show.

Critics of the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme have urged Rishi Sunak to increase the guarantee from the current level of 80 per cent to 100 per cent.

The company said it will resume building from April 27. Workers will follow strict social distancing rules - except for work deemed 'essential' that requires them to stand closer together.

The British fashion stalwart said a third of its workers would remain at home on full pay, without a penny being billed to the taxpayer, while bosses have taken a 20 per cent pay cut.

The closely-watched Markit/CIPS Flash UK Composite Purchasing Managers' Index fell to a new record low of 12.9 - down precipitously from an already low reading 36 in March.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies said households are saddled with £8,000 of non-mortgage debts, totalling £230 billion across the UK. And the coronavirus pandemic means incomes are falling.

McLaren, based at a plush factory in Surrey designed by renowned British architect Norman Foster, is also talking to third parties about further boosting its working capital.

Steve Eisman told investors last week that the Neuberger Berman Absolute Alpha Fund had dropped nearly 5 per cent in March as the Covid-19 crisis took hold.

Pete Redfern, the chief executive of FTSE 100 firm Taylor Wimpey, has broken ranks with rival bosses to push the Government to outline a plan to end lockdown.

Experts at Barclays have speculated that the supermarket chain could be forced to 'inject capital' into Sainsbury's Bank.

With oil prices tumbling, investors will be glued to the first-quarter results due out from BP and Shell on Tuesday and Thursday respectively.

EasyJet is heading for its biggest showdown yet with Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou amid growing speculation in the City that the airline may ask investors to stump up rescue cash.

Ashley's chains, which include Sports Direct and House of Fraser, have been forced to close amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and are in arrears to suppliers.

The bank wants to discourage 'non-essential' customer visits after some of its staff complained in a union survey that irate members of the public had spat on them.

The move by Citadel suggests Britain's supermarket chains might not be immune to the coronavirus outbreak, even though their shares have held firm so far.

Andrew Murphy, John Lewis Partnership's executive director of operations, said the chain could begin reopening some stores as soon as the middle of next month.

Tim Alderslade, the chief executive of industry body Airlines UK, wrote to Chancellor Rishi Sunak, saying that carriers will face a 'renewed cash crisis' if the job support scheme is withdrawn.

Less money has been lent under the Business Interruption Loan Scheme than in Switzerland and Germany because the application process is too complex, the TaxPayers' Alliance said.

There are mounting calls for super-rich fat cat executives to play a bigger part in shouldering the financial burden stemming from the crisis, which will end up hitting taxpayers hard in the pocket.

Analysts are predicting it will unveil first-quarter sales of around £59 billion. But the retail giant has been accused of abandoning fraud victims by closing a crucial helpline.

Chief executive Guillaume Faury told the plane maker's 135,000 staff to brace for a major shake-up and potentially sweeping job cuts to slash costs.

The retailer announced it would reopen its Lancashire textiles factory to make 8,000 washable gowns for Northumbria NHS Foundation Trust over four weeks.

Though it is one of the largest lenders to small and medium-sized firms, it has only approved a tiny percentage of loans made under the Government's Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.

The Investment Association said firms will need 'to take account of their individual circumstances particularly considering the impact on their stakeholders' when deciding executive pay.

The German sportswear firm warned its sales would slump 40 per cent in the second quarter despite China emerging from lockdown, and surging performance online.

Following a row over the cost of new planes, Haji-Ioannou is trying to oust chief executive Johan Lundgren and chairman John Barton at an extraordinary shareholder meeting on May 22.

Novacyt has inked a deal with the Department of Health to provide it with 288,000 tests a week. And Omega Diagnostics has made fresh strides in the race to roll out antibody tests.

The crash in oil prices could put 10 per cent of the sector's 300,000 workforce at risk and reduce new investment in the region to the lowest level since 2000.

Paracelsus Recovery said the rise in requests was mostly from high-flying businessmen who were struggling to adapt to their new style of life.

Treasury officials and the City watchdog expressed concern after it emerged a company is charging £500 upfront, then a percentage of the value of the loan if the application is successful.

Royal Mail is poised to benefit from the new reliance on web sales. Citigroup Analysts bestowed a rare double upgrade on the 504-year-old postal service, moving it from 'sell' to 'buy'.

James Benamor says Amigo was committing 'slow-motion suicide' by making 'irresponsible' loans and failing to alert shareholders to the potential cost of complaints.

Grocers have hired an army of 110,000 temporary staff to meet rising demand. Tesco is now delivering to more than a million people every week, an increase of 400,000 weekly delivery slots.

Just a day after arch-rival Airbus said it was 'bleeding cash' and may not survive, Boeing boss David Calhoun said: 'It is difficult to estimate when the situation will stabilise.'

Think-tank Reform is calling on Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor (pictured), to let businesses bring back employees on reduced hours but still receive some state support as lockdown is lifted.

Many had been worried BP would have to cut or axe the payout after oil prices began tanking in late January. But the energy giant has raised the amount it will give to shareholders.