Close Brothers Group has reported an uptick in funds under management in its asset management business, according to a trading statement released today.

The CF Miton Special Situations and CF Miton Strategic portfolios have fallen from the top of the IMA Flexible Investment sector to the bottom on a one-year view because of the managers' view on equities.

David Barron, head of investment trusts at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, is to leave the firm.

The imminent departure of Mervyn King from the Bank of England has brought about renewed debate over the framing of the policy target set by the Treasury for the Monetary Policy Committee.

Simon Callow has opened five new positions in the CF Miton Diversified Growth fund which he thinks will perform strongly as the UK equity market breaks out into a higher trading range.

The US authorities have released their final set of rules on the FATCA regime designed to prevent tax evasion among US citizens with assets in offshore accounts.

Economist and renowned commentator on Japan, Arcus Investment's Peter Tasker, said in the last 20 years the country has been through the most severe and prolonged bear market ever seen.

China's economic growth picked up in the fourth quarter of 2012, but data for the year as a whole showed the country recorded its slowest growth for 13 years.

Schroders' head of UK equities Richard Buxton has said the FTSE could be set to move into a higher trading range after the index passed the 6,000 mark in a strong start to 2013.

Fidelity's head of research for European equities, Henk-Jan Rikkerink, has outlined eight core themes revealed in a recent survey of the group's investment professionals.