‘Profits Warnings’ are announcements by public companies that their performance is going to be below forecast and public companies have to release this information to alert shareholders to a weaker performance than expected. It’s a fair bet that trading difficulties amongst listed companies are[...]
According to analysis of insolvency data from the last twelve months, more than 90% of trade credit is uninsured, costing trade creditors an average of £450,000 per insolvency. More than half of the £80million of bad debt which occurs every week is owed to ordinary trade debtors, and each[...]
According to a new survey, a surge in export orders helped to lift manufacturing activity in July. The Markit/CIPS UK manufacturing purchasing index rose to 55.1 last month, up from 54.2 in June with figures above 50 indicating expansion within the index. The closely-watched survey found that[...]
According to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the UK’s economy grew by 0.3% in the three months to June, an improvement on the 0.2% figure for the first quarter but lower than last year and below trend. The ONS has said that the growth was driven by partly by retail, which[...]
In a recent statement, the Government has said that consumers will no longer be charged extra for using credit or debit cards when purchasing goods. As of January 2018, businesses will no longer be allowed to add on any surcharges for payments that are made by cards. Businesses that often add[...]
The UK inflation rate was pushed up to 2.9% last month, due largely to the rising cost of foreign package holidays and imported computer games. The rate is up from 2.7% in April 2017. This inflation rate is the highest since June 2013 and is above the Bank of England’s 2% target.
According to official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) the productivity of UK workers has fallen to pre-financial crisis levels. The hourly output fell by 0.5% during the first three months of the year. At the end of 2016, productivity had returned to the level that was seen[...]
A new report has shown that the UK’s budget deficit narrowed in May, aided by a recovery in value added tax receipts. The Office for National Statistics published that the deficit in May was at £6.7bn; down £300m compared with the same month in 2016. The financial year-to-date shows the amount of[...]
Despite several Brexit shocks, the UK is expected to remain attractive for businesses. One year on from the EU Referendum, businesses have proven their resilience despite the anticipated downturn in investment. In the last three months of 2016, companies’ profits totalled over 105 billion pounds[...]
New data from The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has shown that retail sales in May fell as shoppers felt the effects of higher inflation. The quantity of goods sold between April and May are said to have fallen by 1.2%, which was worse than economists expected.
