Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
A survey by the Institute of Directors (IoD) has revealed an increase in business confidence in April, rising from -13 in March and a low of -64 in November to -5 last month. This is the fifth consecutive month in which the index value has improved, following a low of -64 in November 2022. The value…
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Latest data from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has found that business confidence has recovered strongly in the first quarter of 2023, with FSB’s Small Business Index (SBI) headline confidence measure bouncing back significantly from the depths of lockdown-equivalent levels back up to lightly negative territory at -2.8 points. This is a significant upturn…
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Business confidence has reached the highest level since May 2022, according to the latest monthly sentiment index by Lloyds Bank. Confidence reached 33% in April, marking a slight increase from 32% recorded in March. The survey of 1,200 businesses found that overall economic optimism rose by five points to 28%, which is also close to…
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New data from Time Finance has shown the growing popularity of invoice finance amongst the B2B business community, with demand predicted to rise throughout the year as SMEs set out to stabilise their finances. The new insight shows that invoice finance is ranked highest amongst alternative finance solutions, with 32% of financial intermediaries stating that…
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The value of outstanding bank loans to SMEs fell by £14 billion in the last year, from £209 billion to £195 billion, with banking turmoil following the collapse of Credit Suisse and SVB threatening to further reduce access to funding according to ACP Altenburg Advisor. In contrast, loans to large businesses increased by £14.7 billion,…
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UK-listed companies issued 75 profit warnings between January and March 2023, the highest first-quarter total since the early stages of the pandemic in 2020, according to EY-Parthenon’s latest Profit Warnings report. The report reveals that the number of warnings issued in the first quarter of 2023 exceeded the 72 issued in Q1 2022 and that…
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Business confidence in the UK has returned to positive territory for the first time in a year but remains fragile amid a backdrop of economic volatility, a survey of business leaders has found. Sentiment tracked by ICAEW’s Business Confidence Monitor (BCM) – one of the largest and most comprehensive quarterly surveys of UK business activity…
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The latest UK inflation data has shown that the rate has fallen less than expected and remains in double digits at 10.1 per cent in March, from 10.4% in February, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The stubborn rate has been driven by food prices rising at their fastest rate for 45 years.…
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Latest data from Time Finance has what it calls uncovered the true impact of late payments for SMEs with 75% of UK businesses worrying about cashflow as a direct result of overdue invoices from their customers. In a recent survey into the worsening challenge of late payments, Time Finance found that chasing payments was damaging…
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Confidence among finance chiefs at the UK’s biggest companies has seen its sharpest rise since 2020 and has improved significantly since the start of the year, according to Deloitte’s UK CFO Survey Q1 2023. A quarter of CFOs are now more optimistic about the financial prospects of their business than they were three months ago.…
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The UK economy is now expected to avoid both a technical recession and a calendar year contraction in 2023, according to the EY ITEM Club Spring Forecast. The economy is expected to record 0.2% growth this year, which is a significant upgrade from the -0.7% contraction predicted in January’s Winter Forecast. The improved outlook is…
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The UK Economy registered no growth in February, as a contraction in services and production offset strong growth in construction, according to latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data. Revised figures from the previous month pushed GDP up by 0.4 per cent in January after a 0.5 per cent decrease in December. TheONS estimated that…
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UK faces a liquidity gap of £570 million according to predictions by Allianz Trade. The research says that the recent banking crisis has drawn into sharp focus other weak spots within the global economy and concentrated minds of businesses leaders to protect themselves against further contagion. But with forecasts predicting that the $30trn global liquidity…
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