UK

Fears of a double-dip recession appear to have receded after the high street enjoyed surprisingly robust trading last month, boosted by continued hefty discounting and catch-up shopping after December's snow.

Kate Barker, a former leading member of the Bank of England's MPC, has warned the UK economy could be only part way through the financial crisis.

TIP OF THE WEEK

LGIM's Richard Hodges has added 12% to his high yield positions in the £1.3bn Dynamic Bond trust, and expects to take exposure to 50% this year.

The Aberdeen multi-management team has begun to build up exposure to developed regions, with a skew towards UK equity funds.

The governor of the Bank of England has recently warned we in the UK are living through the longest and worst squeeze on real incomes any of us have ever witnessed.

Mark Lyttleton, co-manager of the Blackrock UK Absolute Alpha fund, and Ed Fishwick, the group's quantitative risk analysis group, discuss the fund's investment process.

Investec's Philip Rodrigs says accessing small caps via a specialist active manager could bring value to your portfolio.

In the latest Conjecture debate, our panelists from LV=, Rathbones Unit Trust Management and Standard & Poor's discussed UK equity income.

CONTRARIAN INVESTOR