UK economy contracted by 0.2% in December 2021

GDP fell by 0.2% in December 2021 to equal its pre-pandemic level in February 2020, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The contraction follows a revised growth of 0.6% in November 2021 when the economy surpassed the pre-coronavirus economy for the...

1 in 5 Scottish firms fear rising payroll costs

Thousands of Scottish SMEs are expected to struggle with rising payroll costs in April 2022, according to the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. In a poll of accountancy professionals representing more than 8,000 Scottish businesses, accountants said 22%...

Business confidence tumbled in late 2021

Business confidence fell significantly at the end of 2021 according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), the third consecutive quarterly fall. The small business index, which the FSB uses to represent business confidence, fell by 24.9 points between Q3 and Q4...

Base rate of interest rises again to 0.5%

The Bank of England increased interest rates by to 0.5%, amid concerns that surging energy prices could push inflation to more than 7% by April 2022. Judging inflationary pressures remained "well anchored", the monetary policy committee (MCP) voted by five to four to...