Economics / Markets

The FTSE 100 and sterling have both held on to gains from this morning following Chancellor George Osborne's 2013 Budget speech.

In a vigorous response to Chancellor George Osborne's 2013 Budget, leader of the opposition Ed Miliband branded it as "a downgraded Budget from a downgraded Chancellor".

BUDGET 2013

The threshold at which people begin to pay income tax will rise to £10,000 in 2014, a year earlier than planned, the Chancellor announced today.

The UK economy will post growth of 0.6% this year, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), a downward revision from its December forecast.

The Bank of England voted 6-3 against more quantitative easing this month, saying a further round of purchases could cause an "unwarranted depreciation in sterling".

The UK Budget has been running for almost 300 years. It is a national institution with a rich history and its own customs and traditions - here are a few of the most interesting.

Investors who go it alone will have to dedicate ten hours a week to managing their portfolio in order to beat inflation, according to one external asset manager.

Cyprus turned to Russia for help on Tuesday night after the country's parliament overwhelmingly rejected a tax on the deposits of bank savers.

The government is to announce further spending cuts in Wednesday's Budget, with the savings going to large-scale infrastructure projects designed to boost economic growth, according to reports.