Thanks to Russell Hotten who's covering Mark Carney's second major public speech since the June Brexit referendum:

The challenges to greater prosperity, he said, were far wider. The priorities are:

*”Economists must clearly acknowledge the challenges we face, including the realities of uneven gains from trade and technology

*”We must grow our economy by rebalancing the mix of monetary policy, fiscal policy and structural reforms

*”We need to move towards more inclusive growth where everyone has a stake in globalisation.”

Image source, Getty Images

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has warned that people will turn their backs on free and open markets unless something is done to help those left behind by the financial crisis.

In a keynote speech, he acknowledged that people have paid a “heavy price”, and said “globalisation is associated with low wages, insecure employment, stateless corporations and striking inequalities”

In many advanced economies there are “staggering wealth inequalities”, he told an audience in Liverpool.

Politicians and central bankers must act to ensure people do not lose faith in the current system, he said.

The FTSE 100 has managed to close higher..just. It ended the day 0.33% higher at 6,752.71.

And despite fears over Italy's political stability and its banking system, the country's main index has ended the day barely changed, just 0.34% lower at 17,028.80.

But this doesn't necessarily mean everything's alright as Natwest Markets strategist Brian Daingerfield explains:

"The initial reaction was quite negative, but as we have seen recently with other political events, risks will likely be played out over a period of time," he says.

Image source, Getty Images

Deutsche Bank's chief executive John Cryan has warned that the economic environment remains uncertain after Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's referendum defeat.

"The result of the constitutional referendum in Italy is a harbinger of renewed turbulence that could spill over from the political arena to the economy – with Europe particular endangered," John Cryan said in a letter to employees.

We're a bit late to this, but one piece of data helping boost US investors' enthusiasm is the services data for November. 

Like in the UK, the sector accounts for a whopping 70% of the US economy so if it's doing well it's a fair guide to how the US economy overall is faring.

The Institute for Supply Management said earlier its services index reached 57.2 in November, up from 54.8 in October and the highest level since it hit 58.3 in October 2015. 

Anything above 50 signals growth. 

BBC Radio 5 live

"Is it worth getting married for the marriage tax allowance?" That was the question BBC 5 live listener Paula asked personal finance guru Martin Lewis earlier.

The tax break is worth £220 this year and £212 last year.

"I think it's fine to suggest that if you were planning to get married and you were putting it off because you haven't got time to do it, then you may as well - it might help pay the registry office," Martin said.

"To make a such a substantial life decision for the sake of £220 would be pushing it just a little bit."

However he offered this bit of advice: "If you need it as an excuse to get somebody to marry you, you may have it, and say that I said it was worth doing, because a little bit of joy in this time of year is worth giving somebody."

BBC business correspondent Simon Jack has an update on the situation for Italian banks:

Bankers and investors behind the €5bn rescue deal for Monte dei Paschi are meeting as we speak to discuss the response to Renzi’s resignation. 

Sources at Mediobanca – one of the advisors – tell me they are still confident that the deal will proceed. It all hinges on the Qatari Investment Authority which is  putting in a billion euros. If the Qataris stick with it, it should go ahead for the following reasons..

Although the political risks have risen, Italian banks’ problems haven’t materially changed.

Qatar is a very patient investor

Italy is still one of the world’s biggest economies and they want a stake in one of its biggest banks.

At time of writing MSP shares are down 3% - having been down 5% a couple of hours ago. Likewise, Unicredit shares were down over 5% and are now down 2%.

 I would be surprised if we get any announcement on this today.

 If this deal did fall apart, the government is in a horrible position – as discussed in my earlier blog.

Image source, Reuters

But before you get too carried away about the significance of US' investors optimism, it'd be wise to heed the words of spread betting firm Spreadex analyst Connor Campbell.

"It doesn’t take a lot for the Dow to be at an all-time peak anymore," he notes.

He warns it may not last.

"It is going to be interesting to see how the Dow reacts if/when the Fed raises rates next week. A sharp fall would be baffling given how much prior warning it has had; at the same time, it has quite a long way to drop if it were to lose momentum," he says.

Wall Street appears to have shrugged off fears of a knock-on impact on the US from Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's heavy defeat in Sunday's referendum. 

The Dow hit yet another all-time high in early trading, supported by gains in bank stocks and energy companies, which benefited from higher oil prices. 

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 87.88 points, or 0.46% at 19,258.3, the S&P 500 was up 10.29 points, or 0.47%, at 2,202.24 and the Nasdaq composite was up 28.41 points, or 0.54%, at 5,284.06.

Image source, Getty Images

Italian car firm Ferrari is one of the beneficiaries of today's turmoil on Italian markets. Its shares are currently up 1.5% at €51.50, marking an all-time high. Bloomberg attributes the car firm's strength to the fact it exports most of its cars, some 95%, outside Italy.

Image source, Norwegian Air

And from flying cars to flying planes.  Budget airline Norwegian Air Shuttle has had a bumper day today, with its shares soaring 9%. The move comes after US authorities granted the airline's Irish subsidiary flying rights.

The firm says, external it plans to increase the number of flights to the US by 55% from next summer.   

Image source, AP

We mentioned flying cars earlier. Well, Uber apparently also has its sights on a future where we wave good bye to the road.

The ride-sharing service has acquired a New York-based artificial intelligence start-up which it hopes can speed up its progress in creating self-driving cars. 

Geometric Intelligence’s co-founder Gary Marcus told the BBC the team would have a wide brief - ranging from improving traffic predictions to working towards a future of flying cars.

The deal, for an undisclosed sum, will see Uber gain 15 specialist researchers who will form a new division at the company known as Uber AI Labs.  

Read more here.

It's been a bit of a roller coaster ride for the Italian stock index this morning. The main index - the FTSE Mib - is currently trading 1.1% lower at 16,897.81 - not far from where it started trading this morning. That's after rising above 17,200 this morning. 

Trading in Unicredit shares has been suspended after the bank's stock fell by more than 5%. 

Shares in Italian banks have slumped after Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's resignation yesterday, which some fear will make it harder for lenders to resolve their bad debts. 

Kathleen Brooks of City Index says: "We've seen very volatile trading in Italian bank stocks this morning. Shares rallied but then reversed those gains, and Unicredit has dropped by more than 5% which caused it's circuit breakers to kick in. Trading will probably be suspended for the next few hours." 

Image source, Getty Images

The head of the eurozone group of countries says there is no need for "emergency steps" after Italian Prime Minister Renzi's resignation. 

Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who is also Dutch finance minister, said the outcome of yesterday's referendum would not weaken the currency. 

"It doesn't really change the situation economically in Italy or in the Italian banks. It doesn't seem to require any emergency steps," he added - a nod to suggestions the ECB might further extend its quantitative easing programme.

Mr Dijsselbloem also insisted the vote did not mean populist, anti-EU parties would win in upcoming elections in France or the Netherlands. 

Image source, AP

The price of oil has continued to surge higher after last week's deal by the Opec oil cartel to cut production.

Brent crude, the international benchmark, went above $55 a barrel this morning before dropping back slightly. 

It's partly due to confirmation from Opec general secretary, Mohammed Barkindo, that the group will discuss supply cuts with non-Opec countries on 10 December, said Natixis analyst Abhishek Deshpande.  

"But most importantly we are seeing some weakness in the dollar which is likely to provide intraday support to oil today," he told the BBC.

The Supreme Court has begun a landmark legal hearing into whether Parliament's consent is required before official Brexit negotiations can begin.

Its justices are hearing a government appeal against last month's High Court ruling that only Parliament has the authority to trigger Article 50.

The hearing, being streamed live by the BBC, is expected to last four days, with the verdict expected in January. 

The outcome will have implications for Theresa May's strategy for EU exit. But it is not a court case on whether or not Brexit actually takes place.