Economics / Markets

Officials in Ireland and the EU yesterday moved closer to conceding the heavily indebted nation may require a bailout.

The FTSE is slightly down in early trading, with RBS hit by fears it may be exposed to Ireland's economic problems.

The G20 summit Leaders converging on South Korea for the upcoming G20 summit are set to clash over a deal to safeguard the global economic recovery.

Prime Minster David Cameron has warned China it must correct its trade imbalance amid concern the country is deliberately devaluing its currency to boost exports.

The Bank of England warns inflation is likely to stay above the 2% target throughout 2011, given the upcoming rise in VAT and continuing increases in import prices.

Government austerity measures may have to be rethought if the recovery slows, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned.

The UK's trade deficit narrowed marginally in September but the improvement was tempered by a slowdown in manufacturing.

More than one in six finance chiefs at British companies believe the UK economy will remain steady over the coming year, according to a survey by the recruitment firm Robert Half.

House prices are up and the FTSE (briefly) returned to pre-crunch levels. In other news, do you think it is wise to call your customers evil?

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke has defended a decision to introduce a second round of quantitative easing, arguing it will not lead to a spike in inflation.