Economics

The International Monetary Fund has revised up its forecast for UK GDP growth in 2012 from 0.6% to 0.8%, amid the return of "some optimism" to the global economy.

Jonathan Ruffer, founder and director of boutique investment house Ruffer, has stepped back from direct involvement in the fund management within the firm.

The UK has just managed to avoid a technical recession, according to the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), but output is unlikely to reach 2008 peak levels again until 2014.

Chancellor George Osborne said UK inflation will come down significantly by the end of the year.

Britain's dominant services sector grew at its fastest pace in 10 months in January, reflecting a more optimistic company view, the Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) showed.

Gold will remain the best real asset play for investors if central banks continue to print money and risk debasing their currencies, said Ted Scott, director of global strategy at F&C.

Gilts are seeing prices fall and yields climb after the worse than feared decline in the UK economy was revealed this morning.

The British economy just managed to achieve growth in the fourth quarter of 2011, according to the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR).

ECONOMICS

The UK economy has "significantly weakened" with domestic demand at a two-year low, but a recession is not inevitable, the latest quarterly survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) concludes.