Inflation

Nationals round-up: The Budget continues to grab headlines on the Money pages while investors are still mulling whether to invest in Japan.

The governor of the Bank of England has warned inflation could top 5% because of rising inflation expectations and higher commodity prices.

Andrew Sentance has predicted inflation could rise above 5% this year and repeated his calls for a gradual increase in interest rates and cutting off of monetary stimulus.

The pound reached a 14-month high this morning, after data revealed UK inflation soared to 4.4% in February.

With news inflation jumped to 4.4% in February and gold prices still soaring, Joanna Faith looks at some alternative hedges.

Inflation increased at its fastest pace in more than two years last month, mounting further pressure on the Bank of England to hike interest rates.

Households are suffering their biggest drop in living standards for 30 years, according to a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).

Consumers are increasingly pessimistic about the Bank of England's ability to control high inflation, but few have a plan to move their savings out of banks and building societies to seek higher returns.

The UK's economic recovery slowed in the second half of last year and will remain 'subdued' throughout 2011, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) predicts.

The UK could be entering a "profoundly different" era of slow growth and high debt reminiscent of the economic ills engulfing Japan, says the BBC's economics editor Stephanie Flanders.