Bloomberg The UK economy unexpectedly shrank ahead of the general election, casting doubt over whether there was any growth at all in the fourth quarter. The figures will add to concerns at the Bank of England (BOE), where officials are debating whether further stimulus is needed if economic weakness persists. Three policy makers, including Governor Mark Carney, have flagged the ...

Bloomberg AstraZeneca Plc will stop testing a fish-oil pill for one form of cholesterol in the most advanced and expensive stage of clinical tests. The medicine, called Epanova, didn’t stand a very high likelihood of showing a benefit when combined with a statin for patients at risk of heart disease due to high levels of LDL (or bad) cholesterol, Astra ...

Bloomberg Zurich Insurance Group AG expects to have more power to increase commercial insurance rates than it has seen in almost two decades as a shortage of supply and high natural catastrophe payouts help reverse declining premiums. “The last time this kind of market really existed was in 2002,” James Shea, the company’s head of commercial insurance, said in an ...