Economic View: Let's not get excited, but if the big three keep on bringing in the bacon, the Government will be able to get the deficit down

There's talk of the "opportunity of a generation". But we've learned the hard way that it's better to prevent bubbles inflating than let them burst

So the share price of Lloyds Bank has just about squeaked above the level where the taxpayers start to make a profit on our involuntary investment.

It is a funny time in Italy. On paper the country's economy has now shrunk for seven consecutive quarters, making it the longest recession since the Second World War, and leaving it some 8 per cent below the peak reached in 2007.

Economic View: The markets conclude that this news is so bad the ECB will have to find ways of injecting new demand into the eurozone

After three years of disappointment in measures of economic performance, this quarterly Inflation Report means Mervyn King can end his tenure on a positive note

Economic View

Preserving Britain's access to the European Single Market is cited as one of the main reasons for continued membership of the EU – the single market essentially being the market for services, which has developed much more recently than the single market for goods.

Economic View: If a company's share price is strong it has options: it does not have to rely on recalcitrant banks for a loan

Forty years ago London was struggling - but it's hard to identify the reasons for its turnaround. Plus, the continuing puzzle of the equities market