Economics / Markets

Investors expecting the FTSE 100 to keep soaring should temper their expectations for growth this year, Invesco Perpetual's Mark Barnett has warned.

As investors enter 2014 amid continued concern of low returns, Russell Investments' strategists pick through the opportunities - and the risks - the new year poses.

Asia's major equity markets have fallen after data from China's services sector disappointed.

Chancellor George Osborne has warned Britain still faces "painful cuts" in its efforts to achieve a stable economy.

The Bank of England (BoE) could lower the unemployment target it has said must be reached before it raises interest rates, according to some experts, as jobless figures fall faster than expected.

Nouriel Roubini, famed for his bearish predictions on the global economy, has become the latest bear to become more optimistic over prospects for 2014.

The government could dispose of its remaining stake in Lloyds Banking Group in 2014 through a combination of sales to retail and institutional investors, according to reports.

ARMCHAIR CRITIC

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has confirmed the UK economy grew by 0.8% in the third quarter, but has revised upwards its growth figures for previous quarters.

Ratings agency Standard & Poor's has retained an AAA sovereign credit rating for the UK but says there is still a one in three chance of a downgrade next year.