Economics

Portugal has become the third nation to ask the European Union for financial assistance.

Moody's has downgraded Portugal's credit rating for the second time in less than a month and has warned it could fall further.

The first quarter rebound in the UK economy was weaker than expected, a survey suggests, adding to a growing consensus the Bank of England should again delay raising interest rates this week.

Alex Savvides, senior fund manager of the JOHCM UK Dynamic fund, looks at how recent events have impacted on stocks, sectors and the global economy.

Rising UK equity income stars at M&G and OMAM have challenged Invesco Perpetual's Neil Woodford on his negative view of BP.

Fidelity's Aruna Karunathilake has bought into Lloyds for the first time in three years to take advantage of the stock's depressed valuation.

Ecclesiastical's Robin Hepworth has warned Western equity markets could fall as much as 10% when central banks finally act to tackle inflation.

The recent Barclays Capital Equity Gilt Study 2011, which looks at UK asset returns since 1899, contains a remarkable statistic: the inflation-adjusted return from holding cash in 2010 was -4.1%; the worst return for UK savers since 1975.

Rob Page is leaving Ignis to join Ardevora, the boutique set up by his former Liontrust colleagues Jeremy Lang and William Pattisson.

Manager of Newton Growth and Income funds ups weighting in financial stocks and cuts back defensives as market cycle rotates