Image source, Getty Images

Ailing German bank Deutsche Bank has denied rumours it could seek a bailout from the German government - but were it to change its mind it may need to placate Germany’s deputy chancellor.  

Sigmar Gabriel, leader of the centre-left social democrats and Germany’s economics minister, lambasted the bank over the weekend, after Deutsche chief John Cryan blamed its troubles on “forces in the market”.

“I didn't know whether I should laugh or be furious that a bank which turned speculation into a business model now declares itself the victim of speculators,” Mr Gabriel is quoted as saying by the FT. “I'm really worried about the people employed at Deutsche Bank.”

Deutsche's shares hit 30-year lows last week, after the US Department of Justice requested the bank pay $14bn to settle claims of mis-selling mortgage backed bonds before the financial crisis of 2008. 

Image source, Janus Capital

A bit more on Henderson's merger with Janus - which is named after, and takes its logo from, the two-faced Roman god who looks to the future and the past. 

The tie-up will be a "merger of equals" - the same kind of deal that the London Stock Exchange and the Deutsche Boerse are undertaking - although Henderson's investors will own 57% and Janus' 43%.

The new company, called Janus Henderson Global Investors, will be listed in New York and Australia. The deal is expected to go through by the second quarter of 2017.

Together the two investment firms have 2,300 staff and revenues of about $2.2bn (£1.7bn) last year. They hope to make $110m of cost-savings through the deal.

Image source, Henderson Global

Anglo-Australian investment firm Henderson Global has struck a deal, external to merge with America's Janus Capital to create a firm that will manage more than $320bn (£250bn) in assets.

The companies said the tie-up would combine Henderson's strength in UK and European markets with Janus' expertise in the US.

Henderson boss Andrew Formica (pictured) said the firms are "well-aligned in terms of strategy, business mix and most importantly a culture of serving our clients by focusing on independent, active asset management".  

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

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Andy Street, who is leaving his job as head of John Lewis to run as the Tory Candidate for mayor of the West Midlands, says there are "amber lights" on the UK's economic dashboard, and that the chancellor is likely to address these in his speech later.

“I expect he will talk about things that will make the economy successful in the long term so it won’t be a short term tax cut. I think he will be talking a lot more about infrastructure and investment that will help us compete,” said Mr Street.

That is likely to mean borrowing to invest - traditionally a Labour approach - he accepts, but this would be no bad thing.  

"Every good business borrows to invest  - it's about choosing the best investment schemes and making sure you get it at an extremely good rate, which can be done at the moment." 

CBI chief Carolyn Fairbairn has been on the Today Programme talking about Brexit negotiations, after the Prime Minister announced they would start by the end of March 2017.

BBC economics editor Kamal Ahmed tweets...

Image source, Reuters

Dutch finance group ING has announced, external it will cut 5,800 jobs in the Netherlands and Belgium. 

It's part of plans to save €900m (£780m) a year by 2021. A total of 7,000 workers will be affected, including 950 staff with external suppliers.

“It is inevitable that the various measures and intentions announced today may have a significant impact on many of our colleagues," said ING boss Ralph Hamers. 

"It means some functions will change significantly in nature. It might mean that the location of functions will change. And it might mean that positions will no longer be there in the future."  

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Image source, Reuters

Sir John Peace, chairman of Standard Chartered and Burberry, hopes the chancellor will commit more funding to the “Midlands Engine” project today.

The nascent plan -  much like its cousin up the road, the Northern Powerhouse - could help spur economic growth in the region and “not just leave Britain reliant upon London,” he says. However, only £5m has been earmarked for it to date.

“The Midlands is the heart of the country - something like 80% of rail freight goes through the area, and about a third of heavy duty lorry freight,” says Sir John, who is chairman of the Midlands Engine.

“So its strategic importance from a road and rail point of view is clearly very important, not just to the Midlands but to the UK as a whole.”

BBC Radio 5 live

Image source, Reuters

With the football season in full swing, a sports insurance specialist at Lockton has been explaining the business behind how clubs protect their best players' income in case of injury.

"Whatever you earn in a week you spend on insurance," Michael Owen, from sports insurance specialist Lockton, tells Wake Up to Money. 

So if a footballer earns £50,000 a week, that's how much a club will spend on the player's insurance premium for a year.

Clubs face difficult decisions, though, because it's too expensive to insure the whole squad. They end up insuring the top five or six highest earners, says Mr Owen (not to be confused with his namesake, the former England striker).

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Image source, John Thys

The trade deal between the EU and US, known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, is beginning its 15th round of negotiations, but concerns remain over the basic fairness of major international trade deals.

Markus Burgstaller, a partner at law firm Hogan Lovells, tells the Today programme such deals have been "beneficial overall", but that certain communities have suffered.

“In particular we see low-skilled manufacturing jobs that were lost, which is currently an issue in the US presidential debate.

“They can be protected to some extent but international trade is about openness and a level playing field in international markets. So there is the possibility for some protectionism to be put in place, but overall once you open a level playing field it is difficult to protect certain industries.” 

BBC Radio 5 live

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Good news for lentil lovers? The price of pulses is set to fall sharply in the coming months.

Pavan Patel, a pulse trader at the Export Trading Group, says the impending drop is a "correction" after a spike last year.

That price increase "did reflect in the nation's curry houses slightly, but not to the extent we saw in the trading markets," he tells Wake Up to Money.

However, he warns it'll take a long time for the price drop to filter down to the average lentil eater. So we're not to expect cut-price dhal curries and red lentil soup just yet.

Image source, PA

In a sign that the government is planning to reset its fiscal policy, the new Chancellor, Phillip Hammond, is to unveil a £5bn house-building stimulus package later today.

In his speech to the Conservative Party conference he will announce plans to spend £2bn and use surplus public land to encourage new developers. 

The government will also spend a further £3bn on loans for home builders and long term infrastructure projects.

The aim is to appeal to those who have been shut out of the housing market by years of rising prices and tough lending conditions.

Image source, AFP

Asian shares have started the week on a strong note with gains on all major markets.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 is up by 1.1%, despite rather lukewarm manufacturing data. Business confidence among large manufacturers is at its lowest in more than three years, the Bank of Japan's quarterly Tankan report showed. 

Chinese mainland markets are closed for a holiday but in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng is up by 1.2%. 

Australia's ASX 200 is higher by 0.8% while in South Korea, the Kospi is also closed for a holiday. 

BBC Radio 5 live

Image source, Getty Images

Carolyn Fairbairn, chief of business lobby group CBI, says that Prime Minister Theresa May setting a date for triggering Article 50 has removed "one big unknown and that's a help". 

"The clock is now ticking and everyone knows that," she tells Wake Up to Money. 

It means businesses can plan for the UK leaving the European Union by spring 2019. 

But it has also refocused minds on two key questions: what kind of access the UK will have to the EU single market; and what the implications will be for skills, she says. 

Image source, AFP

Sterling is down in Asian trading after Prime Minister Theresa May set a date for starting the formal Brexit negotiation process.

Mrs May said she would trigger Article 50 - the clause needed to start the process - by the end of March 2017. The timing means the UK looks set to leave the EU by summer 2019.

The pound is down about 0.3% against the dollar at $1.2936, having been down as far as $1.2902 at one point, its lowest since mid-August. 

Image source, Reuters

Welcome to another week of Business Live. You've got two Dans here to guide you through the morning, Dan Macadam and Dan Thomas. 

The big story will be Chancellor Philip Hammond's speech at the Conservative Party Conference, where he will promise "a new plan for the new circumstances Britain faces" after the Brexit vote. 

The Chancellor of the Exchequer - seen here applauding Prime Minister Theresa May's speech yesterday - is to say he will manage the public finances in a different way to his predecessor, George Osborne.

He'll be speaking at about 11:30 - we'll have the latest from that, plus all the news and views that are moving the markets.