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The head of the International Monetary Fund has warned that the world economy is trapped between "fire and ice" - the threat of slumping growth and of rising inflation.
IMF warns of 'fire and ice' threat to the world
Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, has laid the blame for the credit crunch on the ratings agencies, the investors in sub-prime securities who believed them, and inappropriate incentive structures.
Ben Bernanke lays credit crunch fiasco squarely on ratings agencies
Goldman Sachs chairman and chief executive Lloyd Blankfein has declared the beginning of the end of the credit crisis - just as Wall Street rival Lehman Brothers took a further $1.8bn (900m) credit crunch hit.
Goldman Sachs' Lloyd Blankfein sees end of credit crisis
Jean-Claude Trichet, the ECB's president, dug in his Gallic heels yesterday, insisting that Europe remains insulated from the unfolding slump in the US and would stick to its sole duty of combating inflation, now at a record 3.5pc. "We have one needle in our compass. We have to deliver price stability," he said.
ECB hawks defiant as storm gathers
Pressure is growing on the Bank of England to take drastic measures to ease the credit crunch after yesterday's quarter-point interest rate cut failed to make any inroads into the crisis.
Interest rate cut toothless in face of mortgage crisis
Millions of struggling families will be hit by higher mortgage payments after banks raised their charges last night despite the Bank of Englands quarter-point cut in the base rate to 5 per cent.
Consumer crunch bites despite cut in base rate
Retailers on both sides of the Atlantic issued dire forecasts for the high street yesterday as the turmoil in financial markets continues to hurt the wider economy and put the brakes on consumer spending.
UK and US retailers deliver grim forecasts for trading
Sir Philip Green threw down the gauntlet to his high street rivals yesterday by vowing that Topshop and Topman would have a record year despite the toughest trading climate he can remember.
Sir Philip Green predicts record year for Arcadia's Topshop and Topman
HBOS, the UK's largest mortgage lender, has increased its exposure to housebuilders by taking a 40pc stake in Tulloch Homes Group. The 27.5m investment in the private Scottish company comes just days after the bank invested in Miller Group, the UK's largest privately owned construction company and housebuilder.
HBOS takes a stake in Tulloch
Iceland's central bank raised its benchmark interest rate for the second time in three weeks to shore-up the krona and douse inflation. Banks make up two-thirds of the Icelandic stock market - which has lost 80pc of its value since last July.
Icelandic interest rate hits 15.5pc
Rocketing global food prices are causing acute problems of hunger and malnutrition in poor countries and have put back the fight against poverty by seven years, the World Bank said yesterday.
Poor go hungry while rich fill their tanks