Economics

COMMENT

Weaker US data and ongoing expectations of tighter UK monetary policy have helped boost gold and sterling respectively as the dollar loses ground.

Lloyds CEO Antonio Horto-Osorio has been forced to defend his £1.7m bonus, claiming it is in the interests of the taxpayer.

Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has accused the three main UK parties of "bluff, bluster and bullying" after they rejected plans to share the pound with an independent Scotland.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has warned Scotland it will lose the pound if it votes to become independent from the rest of the UK.

The Ruffer investment trust's protective assets have "earned their keep" so far this year, countering losses from its position in Japanese equities, the managers have said.

The Bank of England has today said it will not hike rates "for some time to come" - with the base rate potentially at 2% by 2017 - as governor Mark Carney begins to alter his forward guidance policy.

Sterling has climbed against a basket of currencies including the dollar this morning after the Bank of England altered its forward guidance policy and revealed GDP is expected to overshoot expectations.

Three former members of the Bank of England's rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) have suggested interest rates could rise sooner than expected.

Barclays has been forced to issue confirmation of its pre-tax profits for 2013 a day ahead of its results after they were leaked in a diary column.