UK

FUND MANAGER FOCUS

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.

Richard Plackett is to take a six-month sabbatical from BlackRock, handing his portfolios to other members of the team.

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.

A concentration of flows among an increasingly small pool of funds is prompting buyers to turn away from the biggest players due to fears over performance, liquidity and communication.

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.

CURRENCIES

THE BIG INTERVIEW

With markets having wobbled at the start of 2014, Stephanie Flanders, chief market strategist for UK and Europe at J.P. Morgan AM, analyses the global recovery and tells Investment Week where the next investment opportunities may lie.

COMMENT