Economics / Markets

GOSLING'S GROUSE

Mervyn King, the outgoing governor of the Bank of England, has warned central banks risk becoming more politicised as a result of their efforts to tackle the banking crisis and subsequent recessions.

A new academic paper suggests an influential study used to argue the case for austerity contains a number of flaws - including a simple Excel spreadsheet error.

Hedge fund supremo John Paulson has reportedly lost almost $1bn of his personal wealth since the end of last week after the price of gold crashed.

George Osborne's austerity plan came under attack today from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after it downgraded the outlook for UK growth by more than any other advanced economy.

UK consumer prices index (CPI) inflation remained unchanged at 2.8% in the year to March, after a slight rise during February.

The US' three major equity markets dropped overnight after a bomb blast at the Boston Marathon shook markets and weak data from China continued to weigh on stocks.

The European deleveraging process is five years behind that seen in the US and may obstruct a further rise in equity markets, according to Invesco Perpetual's Neil Woodford.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is expected to release a gloomier picture of the world economy this week, by trimming its forecast for global growth this year by 0.1%.

Despite the prospect of a triple-dip recession and yearly rises in tax on alcohol, the British are still taking to the pub in droves. Annabelle Williams looks at an alternative way to invest in the sector.