Economics / Markets

The UK has climbed a place in a major annual economic survey assessing competitiveness and productivity in 144 countries.

Britain's economic recovery will be at risk if Scotland votes for independence next month, the president of Britain's biggest business lobby has warned.

Japan's economy has shown signs of stagnation and some weakness as households spent less and factory output stayed flat in July.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has upgraded its UK GDP forecast for 2014 but cautioned the recovery may be short-lived unless exports bounce back.

The Bank of England will hold off on hiking rates for six months if it does not act by November - leaving a "clear run" for investors until the general election, Richard Buxton has predicted.

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US markets continued to edge higher on Wednesday, despite the Federal Reserve's latest minutes suggesting an interest rate hike may come sooner than expected.