UK predicted set to be among worst performing economies

The UK is set to be one of the world’s worst-performing major economies this year, according to a forecast from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The report says the UK economy’s performance in 2023 will be the worst among the G7, predicting that the economy will shrink by 0.3% in 2023 and then grow by…

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Builders merchants turn to winding up petitions against late payment contractors

A new report from accountants at Mazars has found that the top 20 building merchants are increasingly turning to winding up petitions against contractors who fail to pay on time. Builders merchants have applied for winding up petitions against 185 constructors compared with just 44 in the previous year to the end of January 2023,…

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North East hit hardest by the cost-of-living crisis

The cost-of-living crisis has hit hardest in the North East, where savings are lowest and set to fall the most this year according to new research by Hargreaves Lansdown. The research found that in the North East few people have enough cash at the end of the month, and they have the lowest wages in…

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Households card spending increases 4%

Household spending increased last month but continued to trail behind inflation rates, according to new figures from Barclays. The figures showed that consumer card spending rose four per cent year on year in March, less than half the latest CPIH inflation rate of 9.2 per cent, as consumers made further cutbacks to cope with the cost-of-living…

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Creditfix to end debt packager referrals fees

Individual Voluntary Arrangement  (IVA) provider, Creditfix has announced that it will no longer accept referrals from third-party debt packager firms from 1st May 2023. The company says that it hopes that the move will encourage other Insolvency Practitioners to follow suit in the interest of protecting customers – especially as the cost-of-living crisis continues to…

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