Economics / Markets

The Bank of England today held interest rates at 0.5% as fears over a sluggish economic recovery outweighed inflation concerns.

Moody's says it could cut its ratings of 19 UK banks to reflect the lower chance of a future government bail-out.

The Japanese economy is "under strong downward pressure" in the wake of the damage caused by the earthquake and tsunami, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) says.

IFAonline rounds up what the newspapers are saying…

The Bank of England is likely to maintain its current monetary stance and keep interest rates at their historic low today after a new report suggested the UK's economic recovery remains sluggish.

Portugal has become the third nation to ask the European Union for financial assistance.

Low interest rates are leading investors to seek riskier investments to beat inflation which could be storing up future problems in the financial system, according to the Financial Stability Board (FSB).

The OECD today cut its second-quarter growth forecast for the UK to 1% from 1.3%, but said growth prospects for the G7 nations were rosier.

The first-quarter rebound in the UK economy was weaker than expected, a survey suggests, adding to a growing consensus the Bank of England should again delay raising interest rates this week.

Banking shares could be volatile this week ahead of the Independent Commission on Banking's (ICB) report, which may suggest the break-up of high street lenders.