Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Business leaders’ confidence in the prospects for the UK economy fell to levels not seen since the pandemic during November, according to analysis by the Institute of Directors (IoD). The institute’s Economic Confidence index fell to -65 in November, down from -52 during October. This marks the fourth consecutive monthly fall and is the second…
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Recent data indicates that households are increasingly anxious about the state of the economy, particularly following Rachel Reeves’s Budget, which has raised concerns about a potential UK recession. The BRC-Opinium tracker shows a decline in consumer confidence, with only 19% of respondents feeling optimistic about the economy in the next three months, down from 21%.…
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The UK’s retail sector continues to display resilience amid economic pressures with notable trends in late payments and insolvencies as the year concludes. The data from trade credit insurer Atradius also highlighted a rise in payment defaults in specific retail categories but remains optimistic about the sector’s ability to adapt and thrive in 2025. The…
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Newly published research has revealed that nearly one in three firms surveyed (31%) believe they’ll need to embark on a wave of redundancies in the coming year according to research Evelyn Partners. The research also showed that 30% of business owners polled say it’s likely they’ll default on debt over the next 12 months. The research…
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The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published its latest Consumer Prices Index, which shows the rate of inflation rose to 2.3 per cent in the 12 months to October, up from 1.7 percent in September 2024. The increase showed that core Inflation (excluding food and energy) rose to 3.3%, up from 3.2% in September.…
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Working capital was the most in-demand funding choice for businesses in most sectors in the first half of 2024, according to analysis by business financial platform Funding Options by Tide. The research showed that working capital finance came out as the number one business enquiry for 11 out of the 16 business sectors analysed in…
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Office for National Statistics (ONS) data shows that the economy grew by just 0.1% between July and September, falling back from the 0.5% growth seen between April and June. The stalling of growth is being blamed on the worries in the economy over the potential tax rises that were being anticipated in Labour’s first budget…
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Credit Connect Media hosted its second Commercial Credit & Collections Conference last week at the Midland Hotel in Manchester which saw ten trade credit and insolvency professionals from various industry sectors meet to discuss the latest industry challenges. In the seventh edition of the Commercial Credit & Collections Conference series, hosted by Credit Connect Media,…
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New research by EY ITEM Club has found that total bank lending grew by 2.6% this year (up from – 2.2% in 2023), 3.7% in 2025 and 4.3% in 2026. The research forecasts that business lending is set. to grow 3.1% this year (up from – 2.1% in 2023), 5.6% in 2025 and 6.2% in…
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Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee’s has voted to cut the base rate by 0.25% to 4.75%. MPC voted 8-1 to cut rates, with the dissenter preferring to leave cuts unchanged at 5%. Inflation is expected to increase to around 2.5% by the end of the year, from 1.7% in September. Federation of Small Businesses…
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Data from the British Retail Consortium and KPMG shows that retailers experienced a disappointing October, with sales rising only 0.6% against a growth of 2.6% in October 2023. This was below the 3-month average growth of 1.3% and the 12-month average growth of 1.0%. Helen Dickinson OBE, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, said…
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A poll of over 700 Institute of Directors (IoD) members following the Chancellor’s Budget Statement has found that two-thirds (67%) of business leaders feel negatively towards the Autumn Budget and two-thirds (67%) think that it does not support the Government’s growth mission. Separately the IoD Directors’ Economic Confidence Index, which was polled wholly before the…
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Latest data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has shown an improvement in consumer confidence as Christmas approaches. According to BRC-Opinium data, consumer expectations of their personal financial situation over the next three months improved slightly to -4 in October, up from -6 in September. The state of the economy improved slightly to -17 in…
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