FT.com - UK Equities...Banks miss out on FTSE gains...Lloyds TSB slid towards a 16-year low on concerns of further writedowns ...Debenhams shares soar as debt fears recede...Shares in the retailer jumped by a third in early trade as fears the department store chain would launch a rights issue or refinancing faded and Christmas trading appeared better than expected...Tracker aids Pendragon rally...More than 10% – 72m shares – of the UK's largest car retailer changed hands on Monday as an index tracker finished selling down its holdings...Asset managers turn to corporate bonds...High-grade corporate bonds were the asset class most likely to see a rally in 2009, a survey has found...Hedge funds face more pain...Hedge funds are suffering a New Year hangover of record proportions after an end-of-year rush to suspend or restrict withdrawals of money and the first of what is expected to be a wave of closures...Share issue guidelines eased by ABI...Large rights issues could now be more easily conducted with the Association of British Insurers relaxing its stance in a move to reduce exposure to speculative pressures...Pfizer eyes merger deal with large rival
...Pfizer is willing to acquire a large rival drugs company to improve its financial health, which could trigger a fresh round of mergers...Conditions ripe for reshuffle in energy sector...Many small players could become potential targets of leading companies as the drop in oil prices and asset valuations creates opportunities for deals...Restaurant Group sales slow sharply...The owner of the Garfunkels and Frankie & Benny's chains of restaurants reported a sharp slowdown in sales in the last seven weeks of 2008 but said it expected to meet full-year expectations...CFO anger at banks' refusal to loosen credit...The finance directors of Britain's leading companies are becoming increasingly angry with banks over the poor availability and cost of credit ...Base crumbling as companies seek market exit...January sees more evidence of a trend that has big implications for the north-east and Yorkshire regions – the delisting of quoted companies...High street left with harsh hangover...This Christmas, shopkeepers have been forced to swallow a bitter cocktail of sluggish sales and painful price cuts as they grapple for cash to pay their rent bills and fund debt repayments in what is proving to be the high street's bleakest winter in three decades...HBOS pension trustees challenge merger...Lloyds TSB's high profile rescue of HBOS faces a potential delay after the trustees of HBOS's pension scheme decided to press ahead with a legal challenge to the deal...JJB promotes Jones to executive chairman...JJB Sports, one of the high street's most troubled retailers, received a much-needed shot in the arm on Friday after a management reshuffle put Sir David Jones in the driving seat at the sportswear chain...Waitrose feeds John Lewis sales rise ...The department store group saw overall sales surge more than 20% in the crucial Christmas week, although most of its growth came from Waitrose, its chain of upmarket food stores...