This week a bullish George Osborne revelled in the latest growth projections of the government's independent economic forecasters. The Office for Budgetary Responsibility revised its figures upwards on growth and downwards on unemployement. But Labour are still warning that cuts to public sector spending represent a gamble.
Also this week, the EU has endorsed an €85bn bailout for Ireland but the market reaction has been muted. Can Europe grow its economy out of trouble - and will there be a day of reckoning for the bond markets.
And as Europe struggles, is the rise of China inevitable? Not so fast, says George Magnus, chief economist at Swiss bank UBS. His new book Uprising puts the sceptical argument against the rise of China and India and he says don't give up on Europe and America just yet.
From the Guardian's and the Observer's business desks to discuss all this: Jill Treanor, Andrew Clark and Nils Pratley.
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