Economics / Markets

The Bank of England needs to remind the public and businesses that interest rates will one day rise again, a former Monetary Policy Committee member has warned.

Concerns raised by ratings agencies, analysts and hedge funds have pushed bank shares lower this morning as the FTSE 100 snaps seven straight days of gains.

Britain's recovery is gathering momentum on the back of a "stunning" resurgence in manufacturing, economists said, as advertising spending - another economic bellwether - bounced back to levels not seen since the recession struck.

JAPAN

Intrinsic Financial Services has reported a pre-tax profit of £24.3m although this figure is skewed by the waiver of preference share dividends and the cancellation of Lloyds preference shares.

The UK is experiencing a slower economic recovery than 23 of the 33 advanced economies monitored by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), according to analysis.

Global investors are feeling bullish about the prospect of further stockmarket gains this year, and are also favouring precious metals despite recent price falls, according to the Franklin Templeton Global Investor Sentiment survey.

The Dow Jones index broke through the 15,000 point threshold for the first time ever on Tuesday.

The UK may be about to experience its first real property crash, according to Justin Urquhart Stewart, founder of Seven Investment Management (7IM).

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