The FTSE 100 got off to a positive start on Monday, with shares shrugging off weak data from both China and Japan to move higher.
George Osborne is potentially facing a £20bn black hole in the public purse when he delivers the next Budget, according to a recreation of government models put together by the Financial Times.
Some commentators on China fear an imminent crisis, others a continuing slowdown which will depress commodity markets and make life a bit more difficult for Western exporters.
Annualised US GDP growth for Q4 2013 has been revised down from 3.2% to 2.4% at the second estimate, with worse-than-expected personal consumption figures to blame.
The UK economy grew at 0.7% in the final quarter of 2013, official figures confirmed today, in line with the preliminary estimate, although 2013's overall growth rate was revised down.