Mark Mobius is "cautiously" looking to buy oversold quality companies in the Middle East and North Africa, despite increasing volatility in the region.

Holding UK interest rates at crisis levels is "inappropriate" as rising inflation becomes a bigger concern than a double dip recession, says Julie Dean at Cazenove.

The Monetary Policy Committee's forecasts for UK real growth are too optimistic, while concern mounts over its inaction in raising rates to stem rising inflation, says Threadneedle's Mark Burgess.

The rapid rise in the price of crude is reviving fears of a double-dip recession, Chris Iggo at AXA Investment Managers says.

Fund managers warn Japan could take a short-term hit to GDP following last week's earthquake and tsunami, but they are less concerned about the longer-term impact on the country's fragile economic recovery.

Japan's stock market lost almost 7% after its first full day of trading following the earthquake and tsunami that struck the country on Friday.

Old Mutual Asset Management's bond funds have moved back into negative duration after a temporary switch to positive duration at the start of the Middle East crisis.

Negotiations to find a solution to the European sovereign debt crisis will end in a messy compromise that fails to resolve the peripheral solvency problem, says Stuart Thomson at Ignis Asset Management.

BlackRock has unveiled two overseas bond trackers for the retail market, providing exposure to global corporate and government bonds.

Schroders saw net inflows soar to £27.1bn last year, almost double the £15bn taken in 2009.