UK

Gilts and sterling are falling sharply this morning as investors react to the likelihood of a UK hung parliament.

As a bond investor, Jim Leaviss explains why he is "almost" hoping for a hung parliament this morning.

Gilts have rallied significantly into the Election, driven more by the UK being associated with the core of Europe than the chance of a significant Tory majority.

Net retail inflows of £3.3bn over the first three months of the year helped propel Schroders to a record quarterly inflow in Q1.

Even the great Warren Buffett, who has successfully negotiated a number of crisis situations in his time, has admitted he would not want to be responsible for tackling the UK's debt problem.

Rob Burdett and Gary Potter will run the combined retail multi-manager business of Thames River and F&C, with Dean Cheeseman to head-up the institutional and Lifestyle range.

Prudential's largest shareholder, the Capital Group, is eying a potential break-up of the insurer as a radical alternative to its $35.5bn AIA acquisition.

Invesco Perpetual's Neil Woodford is one of a trio of highly regarded managers appointed to run balanced managed unit trusts for St. James's Place.

The Bank of England's fantasy forecast of a decline in annual CPI inflation to about 1% in early 2011 looks even less credible in the wake of March numbers showing an unexpectedly large rise from 3% to 3.4%.

St. James's Place recorded an 84% surge in unit trust and ISA investments over the first quarter of the year.