Economics / Markets

George Osborne has denied ‘insulting' middle-class voters by claiming that making them pay higher tax rates is ‘good for them' because it makes them feel successful - and more likely to back the Tories.

Markets across Asia fell sharply overnight, with key indices shedding over 3%, as worries about the health of the Chinese economy and its ability to re-balance continued to hurt equities.

What has caused investors to revisit absolute return funds?

Investors have a decision to make: stick with the expensive developed world or take a risk on cheaper emerging markets.

China should be at the front of investors’ minds when considering expectations for wider emerging markets this year

The formats of both the annual Budget and Autumn Statement must evolve to focus on tax and spending decisions rather than political "vote chasing", the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has said.

Bank of England governor Mark Carney has said rates could be as high as 3% over the medium term, endorsing comments made by colleague Charles Bean earlier this week.

Tory pressure group Renewal has proposed scrapping the 40p higher rate of income tax and replacing it with a 45p rate for some earners.

It's our round-up of the stories your clients may have read in the national newspapers over the weekend.

Japan's current account deficit widened to a record 1.5tn yen ($15bn; £8.7bn) in January, the largest since records began in 1985.