Economics

Tesco, Aviva's mega merger, and the pre-election pound

Acknowledging that the forecasting consensus has missed many of the big stories of recent years, analysts at HSBC have attempted to outline the biggest potential risks for investors in 2015.

Tesco shares have opened 15% lower after the retailer said full-year profits will come in below market expectations.

Rayner Spencer Mills Research's Ken Rayner looks back on a year in fixed income markets, and considers what 2015 may hold for bond funds as interest rate rises loom large.

The steep fall in the oil price could damage growth and dividend prospects for some of the UK's biggest stocks, adding to managers' concerns over the outlook for the wider market.

Japan's economy shrank more than initially estimated in the third quarter of 2014, according to revised gross domestic product (GDP) figures.

The US economy added 321,000 jobs last month, a figure well above the 230,000 rise that had been forecast and one which will bring forward expectations of a US rate hike.

Interest rates have been at record low levels for over five years, but an interest rate hike in the near future is inevitable and investors need to protect portfolios against it.

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has issued a warning over Chancellor George Osborne's plans for the UK to "go it alone" on corporate tax reform.

Advisers have welcomed the Chancellor's overhaul of the taxation system around buying property, saying it is an "ingenious" idea that will benefit the majority of clients.