The UK economy will dodge a recession with a return to yearly growth of 0.5pc in the first quarter of this year, followed by a more rapid 1.4pc expansion in the next three months, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Its growth forecasts compared to a contraction of 1.2pc in the final three months of the last year, as the Paris-based think-tank presents annualised rather than quarterly growth rates. On a quarterly basis, the UK economy shrank by 0.3pc at the end of last year. The predictions represented a further boost to growth hopes, as, separately, the Office for National ... (full story)