US

Investors who go it alone will have to dedicate ten hours a week to managing their portfolio in order to beat inflation, according to one external asset manager.

Asian shares took a breather on Wednesday, struggling for traction as some investors locked in profits from the markets' recent rally while a bit of yen strength capped the upside for Japanese stocks.

Billionaire Wall Street hedge fund titan John Paulson is reportedly planning to move to Caribbean island Puerto Rico to cut his tax bill.

FIVE THINGS

The global economic recovery will slow this year unless the US averts $85bn (£56bn) in spending cuts that start today, the International Monetary Fund has said.

In the latest Big Debate, our panelists from Eaton Vance and The Washington Update discussed the US.

The FTSE 100 tumbled nearly 2% in morning trading after the US Federal Reserve spooked markets yesterday by warning it may slow its asset purchase programme.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating whether insider trading took place in Heinz shares ahead of the food giant's historic deal with Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway.

SECTOR REPORT

The US economy shrunk in the final quarter of 2012, raising fresh questions about the strength of its economic recovery.