Markets: Global stocks ended the session on a cautious tone as many growth-focused benchmarks hovered just shy of recent cyclical peaks. The FTSE All-World equity index, which at the start of the week hit its best intraday level since May 2011, was little changed, while the FTSE Eurofirst 300 ended the session fractionally higher. The S&P 500 recovered from earlier losses to close slightly higher at 1,472 as US retail sales for December came in stronger than expected, but the New York Fed's manufacturing survey underperformed forecasts. Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy has called on Germany and other creditor countries in the eurozone to do more to stimulate growth, arguing that a switch to a more expansionary policy would boost economic recovery across the single currency area. "I think that in this moment, when there is a need for growth, those who are able to implement growth policies should do it," he told the Financial Times in an interview. Mr Rajoy also suggested he would only consider OMT in the event of fresh market turmoil. Goldman Sachs has abandoned a plan which would have allowed bankers to benefit from a cut in the top rate of income tax by delaying UK bonus payments until after the new UK tax year. The Wall Street bank decided at a board meeting on Tuesday not to press ahead with the proposal after the governor of the Bank of England attacked the proposal. Facebook on Tuesday launched an advanced search capability for the social network, giving users the ability to conduct targeted queries for people, photos, places, and interests. The function will be focused on data within Facebook's "social graph," rather than the broader web. Jack Ma, the founder of China's largest e-commerce company Alibaba, has announced his resignation as chief executive, the latest step in a long-running restructuring of the group that dominates the fiercely competitive sector. Manchester United added two Chinese companies to its growing list of sponsors, ahead of crucial Premier League talks on cost control, which could see the club's ability to generate substantial revenues earn a decisive advantage over rivals. The Premier League leaders signed up soft drinks manufacturer Wahaha and China Construction Bank on three-year contracts, its first sponsorship deals in China. Japan, where sales of adult diapers outnumber those for babies (and other discouraging facts). Check out Facebook Graph Search, even though its name sucks. Pension raiders in America. Think of the healthcare, people! Look into 150 years of crystal ball. What's the point of it all? The stock price. That's it, really. Wage inequality: not just the rise of the machines. But at least the machines are easier to work with.