The chairman of RSA is to hold urgent talks with rating agencies this week in a bid to avert a downgrade that could further erode the scandal-hit insurer’s financial stability. Martin Scicluna is fighting to preserve RSA’s crucial A credit rating after the group, one of Britain’s largest insurers and owner of the More Than brand in the UK, revealed last week that losses in its Irish business were greater than previously thought. The accounting scandal has prompted some investors to call on the board to consider a possible sale of the entire group. – Financial Times

Republicans are gearing up for a new fight with President Barack Obama over the need to lift America’s borrowing limit early next year, raising concerns that the fiscal truce established in last week’s bipartisan budget deal may be shortlived. Paul Ryan, Republican chairman of the House budget committee, said his party planned to demand concessions from the White House in exchange for raising the country’s debt ceiling. Republicans would meet in January to discuss the options. – Financial Times

Small businesses are growing increasingly optimistic about their prospects for new year as they seek to expand and develop, according to a new study. Confidence among small firms is growing across every region of the country, research by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) found. A third are already running at full capacity, while one in four expect to invest in 2014, the survey of more than 2,000 firms showed. – The Daily Mail

The parent company of the Press Association will sell its weather forecasting business for €190m to a private equity group. MeteoGroup, Europe’s largest private sector weather business, provides bespoke services to corporate, industrial and media clients as well as consumers. It also has a portfolio of weather apps including WeatherPro, MeteoEarth and Magical Weather. – The Times

Homeowners thinking about a move should get going in the new year, according to an estate agent’s website. Rightmove forecasts that average asking prices will rise by up to 8% in 2014 unless more properties come on to the market. According to Rightmove, first-time buyers should act in the first half of next year before prices rise significantly. Those looking to trade up should also consider a move before the trading-up price gap widens farther, it said. – The Times

Britain’s high streets have suffered their biggest drop in shopper numbers for more than a year, according to a report that indicates a slow start to the festive retail season. The British Retail Consortium’s latest numbers also showed a drop in footfall for out-of-town shops and for shopping centres, echoing sales data that has pointed to a tentative mood among Christmas shoppers. The BRC’s figures, supplied by Springboard, revealed a 3.4% annual drop in footfall for high streets from September to November, the sharpest fall since August 2012. – The Guardian