UK GDP is confirmed to have risen 0.7% in Q3 - but the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revised down a string of recent annualised growth figures.

In 2014, Japan unleashed a radical stimulus package, fell back into technical recession, and saw a tentative economic recovery stalled by a dramatic sales tax increase.

Neuberger Berman has become entirely employee-owned once more after a management buyout to buy back the Lehman estate's stake in the firm.

Vladimir Putin has said Russia could take as long as two years to recover from its burgeoning economic crisis.

A hawkish statement from the Federal Reserve has been perceived by markets as another step towards an interest rate rise, although it is unlikely to come before April 2015.

The plummeting oil price and tumbling ruble have shaken up investors at the end of 2014, but investors still have plenty to look forward to in 2015, according to Brewin Dolphin.

UK unemployment fell by 63,000 to 1.96 million in the three months to October, while wage growth picked up, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Allianz Global Investors has opened several flagship strategies to UK retail investors with the addition of a new sterling clean share class.

Neptune's CEO Robin Geffen is refraining from holding any UK equities within his global portfolios due to risks surrounding the upcoming general election.

Allianz Global Investors CIO Andreas Utermann has warned investors to prepare for more significant unexpected events in 2015.