Weak consumer-spending growth and disappointing levels of corporate investment point to an economy held back by zombie households and zombie companies.

WSJ: U.K. Is New Recruit on Europe's Sick List

Though it's difficult to predict exactly how the year will pan out, weak job growth, a slowing economy and troubled housing markets all point to signs of an economic recession.

CNN: Is your job recession-proof?

If you've targeted a particular growth rate of cash GDP and the economy has not reached that rate, over a sustained period, the point of cash GDP targets is that the central bank is not supposed to just forget about those failures and look to the future - as the Bank of England has done with the inflation target.

BBC: The Bank of England, the chancellor, and the target

Although America's economy no longer looks on the point of collapse, it has failed to return to healthy growth.

ECONOMIST: America's economy

Past growth figures suggested the Scottish economy had ended that long-term trend, and put Scotland around the mid-point of UK performance.

BBC: Making up lost ground