UK

Adam Posen, the Bank of England policymaker, has predicted inflaton will fall to 1.5% by mid-2012 as the government's austerity drive and a weak economy will curb consumer spending.

Taxes will be increased on expensive houses, allowing the government to fulfil its longer-term promise to scrap the 50p top income tax rate, Nick Clegg has said.

GSAM chairman Jim O'Neill calls for UK rate rise but expects oil price shock to be temporary

LGIM's Richard Hodges believes the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) would be "lunatics" to raise interest rates in May as it will put the UK at risk of a double-dip recession.

Richard Howarth is poised to increase the gross exposure of the Absolute Insight UK Equity Market Neutral fund following a drop in volatility across markets.

Anthony Cross and co-manager Julian Fosh, running the £53m Liontrust Special Situations fund, have returned more than three times the IMA UK All Companies sector average over the past three years.

The Budget is usually a little like Christmas - there is a long wait, you get a few clues about what is going to happen, and then when the day finally arrives it is a bit of a let-down.

BUDGET BLOG

Much of the commentary on the UK economy has been looking at the public sector squeeze, which has not yet started according to the numbers. It has ignored the private sector squeeze, which is long and deep.

UK retail sales slipped 0.8% in February compared to the previous month, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).