Business confidence is a fickle thing. The latest index from the IoD (Institute of Directors) shows that the confidence figure in February was -63, having risen in Jan to -48 from an historic low of -72 in Dec. The latest figure came out before the rapidly developing situation in the Middle East started so this will be an ever changing picture. Bosses were already exasperated at the state of the UK economy before theContinue reading “Confidence crash: bosses lose nerve as economy stalls”
Category Archives: PeopleMatterTV News
Trump’s tariff shock: why UK small businesses are about to be hit with higher costs
The Supreme Court said no to the way Trump’s tariffs were implemented when he became President but there’s ways around that ruling and so 15% tariffs are being reinstated. What if any, impact will that have on your business? Even though the tariffs are aimed at imports into the United States and push up the prices of those to US consumers, the ripple effects hit UK small businesses in several ways. The impact dependsContinue reading “Trump’s tariff shock: why UK small businesses are about to be hit with higher costs”
1. £1bn for small firms — but are microbusinesses being left out again?
We can’t afford to have almost 1 million young people out of work but small businesses can no longer afford to employ them. This is a structural issue, it’s not just ‘a bit worrying’. It’s economically and socially massive. The latest official government figures show that around 957,000 young people (16–24) are currently NEET (not in education, employment or training). That’s about 1 in 8 of everyone in that age group. The impact onContinue reading “1. £1bn for small firms — but are microbusinesses being left out again?”
Trump’s long-telegraphed showdown begins with joint US-Israeli attack on Tehran
After months of signs, US and Israeli strikes on Iran risk igniting wider regional war. There can be few surprised that the USA and Israel have attacked Iran this weekend. It has been on the cards for months, and the final straw seems to have been the failure of the US/Iranian talks in Geneva earlier in the week. It had been quite clear that the USA was actively considering more strikes against IranContinue reading “Trump’s long-telegraphed showdown begins with joint US-Israeli attack on Tehran”
1. £1bn for small firms — but are microbusinesses being left out again?
The Government is promising an extra £1bn of lending for small and medium-sized businesses over the next five years, unveiled by the Small Business Minister as part of its Plan for Small Business. On the surface, that sounds like welcome news. Access to finance has long been a brake on growth, and most businesses will need to borrow at some point to invest, expand or simply manage cashflow. But the detail matters —Continue reading “1. £1bn for small firms — but are microbusinesses being left out again?”