Economics / Markets

GDP figures for Q4 2010 have been revised up to 3.1% from the 2.8% forecast last month, helped by a rise in consumer spending and businesses restocking their inventories.

Ever wondered what an accountant would sing about if you gave him the chance? No, neither had we.

Ken Clarke may have found it a bit boring (bookmaker Ladbrokes paid out on Clarke falling asleep during Osborne's speech), but there were still a number of measures affecting your clients in this week's Budget.

UK retail sales slipped 0.8% in February compared to the previous month, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The FTSE 100 index edged higher in early trading following gains in the US last night.

Britain could be forced to contribute more than £3bn to a Portugal bailout package following the Lisbon government's failure to push through its austerity measures on Wednesday.

Informed Choice managing director Martin Bamford says the Chancellor's announcement of a three-year freeze on new regulations for small businesses could derail the RDR.

Fund managers believe the revised growth forecast for the UK, revealed in today's Budget, is still too optimistic and may not be an achievable target.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said today the UK's economic recovery will lag previous recoveries in the 1980s and 1990s.

The price of UK 10-year government bonds stayed higher after the country's growth forecast for the year was slashed from 2.1% to 1.7% in George Osborne's Budget.