Economics

Markets in the US and Asia moved lower overnight as expectations of a weak update from Apple hit technology shares, while tumbling commodity prices impacted mining stocks.

Mervyn King, the outgoing governor of the Bank of England, has warned central banks risk becoming more politicized as a result of their efforts to tackle the banking crisis and subsequent recessions.

A new academic paper suggests an influential study used to argue the case for austerity contains a number of flaws - including a simple Excel spreadsheet error.

Financial services will never rebuild trust with consumers or affect a change in the sector unless custodial sentences are imposed on those guilty of criminal wrongdoing, Chuka Umunna, shadow business secretary has said.

George Osborne's austerity plan came under attack today from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after it downgraded the outlook for UK growth by more than any other advanced economy.

UK stock markets and their European counterparts continued to sell-off today as ongoing worries about global growth and a sharp fall in the US overnight weighed on sentiment.

UK consumer prices index (CPI) inflation remained unchanged at 2.8% in the year to March, after a slight rise during February.

The US' three major equity markets dropped overnight after a bomb blast at the Boston Marathon shook markets and weak data from China continued to weigh on stocks.

Weaker than expected economic data from China has caused a sell-off in risk assets, especially commodities.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is expected to release a gloomier picture of the world economy this week, trimming its forecast for global growth this year by 0.1%.