Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Confidence among British businesses has significantly declined due to Labour’s tax policies, according to a survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), revealing that 56% of firms are worried about their tax burden. While price rise expectations have eased back from near historic highs in Quarter 1, tax remains the biggest concern cited by…
Read more
The IoD Directors’ Economic Confidence Index, which measures business leaders optimism in prospects for the UK economy, fell back to -53 in June 2025, having risen to -35 in May. Business leaders’ confidence in their organisations also fell to +3, having reached +15 in May. Investment intentions fell to -10 in June 2025, from ±0…
Read more
UK business confidence surged in May to its highest level since last August, according to new data from Lloyds Bank. The rise was driven by a sharp rebound in global financial markets and a softening in trade tensions between the US and its partners. The business barometer rose by 11 points to 50% up from…
Read more
Institute of Directors (IOD)’s latest Economic Confidence Index, which measures business leader optimism in prospects for the UK economy, rose slightly for the second month in a row, from -58 in March 2025 to –51 in April – the highest since September 2024 (-38). Business leader confidence in their own organisations also improved from +5…
Read more
Business confidence fell into negative territory for the first time in over two years in the first quarter of 2025, as worries over this month’s surge in business costs and US tariffs wreaked havoc, according to ICAEW research. The Business Confidence Monitor (BCM) for Q1 2025 put confidence at -3 on the index, the weakest…
Read more
Global business optimism continues to decline, revealing a 1.3% quarter-over-quarter decline in business optimism according to latest research by Dun & Bradstreet. The fall in confidence follows a sharp 12.9% drop seen in the prior quarter. Persistent global economic uncertainty and rising trade protectionism continue to dampen global business sentiment. While financial confidence dropped 8.6%…
Read more
New data from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) reveals that small firms’ confidence levels are in a rut amid a rising tide of costs and taxes. FSB’s latest Small Business Index (SBI) for Q1 2025 shows a modest improvement in small business confidence, now at -40.7 points, compared to -64.5 in Q4 2024, though…
Read more
The Institute of Directors’ (IoD) Economic Confidence Index, which measures business leader optimism in prospects for the UK economy, rose slightly to -58 in March 2025 from -64 in February. Business leader’ confidence in their own organisations also rose slightly to +5, from +2 in February. In terms of underlying indicators, cost expectations remained at…
Read more
British business confidence remained stable at 49% in March, matching February’s six-month high, according to the Lloyds Bank Business Barometer. The data showed that retailers showed particularly strong confidence, aligning with recent data indicating a surprising rise in retail sales volumes in February. Retail confidence rose seven points to 58 per cent, a post-pandemic high,…
Read more
Almost half of businesses (48%) are deferring capital expenditure until after the Spring Budget according to research by Bibby Financial Services (BFS). As the Spring Statement approaches, the UK’s small and medium sized businesses are eager for economic clarity before committing to major investment decisions. SMEs have strong ambitions for growth, with 87 percent planning…
Read more
Small business confidence hit its lowest recorded point outside the Covid pandemic in the fourth quarter of last year, according to FSB’s Small Business Index (SBI). The headline confidence reading fell from -24.4 points in Q3 to -64.5 points in Q4.This is a fall of 40.1 points, and the lowest reading on this measure since…
Read more
Business optimism in the UK reached a two-year low in January, according to analysis by BDO. The firm’s index measuring confidence across British manufacturing fell to 92.20 from 93.41 in December, marking the fourth consecutive month of decline and the lowest level since January 2023, a time marked by double-digit inflation and clear signs of…
Read more
British businesses increased pessimism in January, marking five consecutive months of declining corporate confidence according to the Lloyds Bank Business Barometer.The Barometer fell by two points to 37%, its lowest level in a year, following a £25 billion tax increase announced in October. Despite the dip, confidence is still above the long-term average of 29%. In previous…
Read more