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Economy and business environment

Make sense of the ever-changing world with upheaval and disruption all around us. The world in which we operate never stays the same, our content helps you stay on top of it.
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Highlights from ICAEW's business podcasts

Tackling productivity
Tackling productivity
  • 16 Nov 2022
Suren Thiru, ICAEW's Director, Economies, discusses why productivity continues to be such a huge issue for the UK economy..
Giving business financial headroom
Giving business financial headroom
  • 16 Nov 2022
Suren Thiru, ICAEW's Director, Economies, explains what types of support businesses need in these difficult economic times.

Latest on economy and business environment

Read our latest features and articles on the economy.
UK business confidence crashes to 13-year low
  • Article
  • 26 Jan 2023
  • ICAEW
ICAEW’s latest Business Confidence Monitor finds a weakened economy and depleting customer demand have caused confidence to plunge to 2009 global financial crisis levels.
Public sector net debt tops £2.5trn for the first time
  • Article
  • 24 Jan 2023
  • ICAEW
The highest December deficit on record has been driven by higher debt interest costs and the cost of energy support schemes.
Cost-of-living crisis to last until end of 2024
  • Article
  • 19 Jan 2023
  • ICAEW
Times are expected to get worse before they get better, with far-reaching impacts on financial resilience and health, Resolution Foundation report warns.
Slowing inflation not easing the cost of living crisis
  • Article
  • 18 Jan 2023
  • ICAEW
Official data reveals that UK inflation slowed for the second successive month in December as fuel prices continued to fall.
HMRC relief statistics: costs in line with tax receipts
  • Article
  • 18 Jan 2023
  • ICAEW
The annual release of tax relief statistics, published on 12 January 2023, shows a significant rise in the cost of some reliefs. However, overall, the percentage increase in cost between 2020/21 and 2021/22 was less than the increase in tax receipts over the same period.
Bleak prospects for 2023 despite surprise November GDP increase
  • Article
  • 13 Jan 2023
  • ICAEW
Latest official estimate confirms that the UK economy surprisingly grew in November as the boost to consumer activity from the Qatar World Cup helped lift overall activity.
chartjan12
Chart of the week: UK public finances 2022/23
  • Article
  • 12 Jan 2023
  • ICAEW
Our chart this week compares the UK public finances for the current fiscal year with the overall size of the economy.
Ideas on fiscal devolution clash as economic progress stalls
  • Article
  • 10 Jan 2023
  • ICAEW
Gordon Brown’s constitutional commission calls for greater fiscal devolution, going much further than the government’s gradual rollout of levelling-up devolution deals.
Read more

Topics in depth

Man studying accounts with calculator and magnifying glass
Economic analysis
Use our selection of articles, reports and eBooks to find economic analysis.
Trade shipping containers
Export
Use our selection of articles, reports, country guides and eBooks to find out more on growth and export.
Builders in group talking about industry project
Productivity and industrial strategy
Use our selection of eBooks, articles, links and guides to find information on business productivity and industrial strategy.

Reports

Special Report 71 - The retail revolution
  • Report
  • Sep 2021
Our focused report on retail will detail the vast changes that have been undertaken in this industry since the onset of Covid, and how you can adapt to get to the top.
Exclusive Special Report 67- Problem solving
  • Report
  • Apr 2020
This month’s special report focuses on solving problems of all shapes and sizes in the workplace. Whatever your position in the hierarchy, there are practical hints and tips included to make your day-to-day work easier and more efficient.
The UK economy
  • Report
  • Jun 2018
This report explores many of the hot issues now facing the UK and global economy.
Exclusive Special Report 61: The UK economy
  • Report
  • Jun 2018
  • PDF (1,617kb)
This report explores many of the hot topics now facing the UK and global economy.
Special report - Export for growth
  • Report
  • Jun 2017
This report provides a practical guide to global exporting and includes interviews with SME exporters.
Special report: Behavioural economics
  • Report
  • Mar 2012
This special report highlights the importance of understanding the human behaviour in our choice selection.
More reports

Webinars and podcasts

What can we expect from 2023?
  • Podcast
  • 03 Jan 2023
On the latest ICAEW Insights podcast, we look ahead to what 2023 might hold for the UK economy and the work of finance professionals.
Untangling the events and impacts of 2022
  • Podcast
  • 15 Dec 2022
In this Insights In Focus episode, we review the major events of 2022 and their contribution to ongoing economic uncertainty.
How will quantitative tightening affect the UK economy?
  • Podcast
  • 30 Nov 2022
In this Insights In Focus episode, we explore the Bank of England’s recent policy switch from quantitative easing to quantitative tightening.
Surviving the cost-of-doing-business crisis
  • Podcast
  • 04 Oct 2022
In this Insights in Focus episode, we discuss the major challenges facing UK businesses, including energy costs, recruitment and retention of staff, and wage inflation.
The PM’s first 100 days - what needs to happen?
  • Podcast
  • 07 Sep 2022
On the latest ICAEW Insights podcast, we discuss the economic challenges facing new Prime Minister Liz Truss, and the policy commitments made during the summer’s campaign trail.
Levelling Up won’t leave with Boris, and the big opportunity ahead
  • Podcast
  • 21 Jul 2022
In this special edition of Insights In Focus, Iain Wright, ICAEW’s Managing Director, Reputation & Influence, is joined by Majeed Neky, Head of Policy, Levelling Up Taskforce at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Gill Morris, Chief Executive, Devo Connect and Sarah Longlands, Chief Executive, Centre for Local Economic Strategies.
Recession? What recession? Time for business to stop worrying and start investing
  • Podcast
  • 18 Jul 2022
In this special edition of Insights In Focus, Iain Wright, ICAEW’s Managing Director, Reputation and Influence is joined by Kitty Ussher, Chief Economist at the Institute of Directors, and Suren Thiru, ICAEW’s Director, Economies.
The pain – and potential gains – of rising inflation
  • Podcast
  • 14 Jul 2022
In this episode of the Insights podcast we analyse the latest news from the world of accountancy, business and finance.
More webinars

eBooks

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides full text access to a selection of key business and reference eBooks from leading publishers. eBooks are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users. If you are unable to access an eBook, please see our Help and support advice or contact library@icaew.com.

Exclusive Doing business in India: the PESTEL framework
  • eBook
  • 2022
  • Anurag K. Agarwal
  • Springer
Examines India's position in global business. Highlights case studies of foreign businesses which have achieved success in India despite the tough market.
Exclusive Dictionary of finance and banking
  • eBook
  • 2018
  • Jonathan Law
  • Oxford University Press
This sixth edition of the bestselling Dictionary of Finance and Banking has been fully revised and updated to take into account the ever-developing financial landscape of the last five years. This comprehensive A-Z defines terms from all aspects of personal and international finance, including money markets, private investments and borrowing, central banking, foreign exchanges, monetary policy, and public and government finance.
Exclusive No small change: why financial services needs a new kind of marketing
  • eBook
  • 2018
  • Lucian Camp, Anthony Thomson
  • Wiley
This book takes the form of a 13-point practical manifesto arguing that the fast-changing financial services world urgently needs to rethink the whole of its approach to marketing. The thirteen chapters look at the key components of the new approach.
Exclusive Doing business in China (4th edition)
  • eBook
  • 2017
  • Chao Xi, Morgen Witzel, Tim Ambler
  • Routledge
This title offers business-people a theoretical framework for the understanding of business practices, markets, negotiations, organizations, networks and the Chinese business context.
Exclusive Financial regulation in the EU: from resilience to growth
  • eBook
  • 2017
  • Sonia Mckay, Andrea Oates, Glynis Morris
  • Palgrave Macmillan
This publication looks to provide a bigger picture view of the impact and future of financial regulation in the EU, exploring the relationship between microeconomic incentives and macroeconomic growth, regulation and financial integration, and the changes required in economic policy to further European integration.
Exclusive Trading places?: VAT and Customs treatment of imports, exports and 'Intra-EU' transactions, and cross-border supplies of services in the Digital Age.
  • eBook
  • 2016
  • Andrew Rimmer
  • Spiramus Press
This book introduces the main concepts and trade facilitation reliefs that businesses must understand if they are to trade internationally with the least intervention and disruption from the Tax Authorities
Exclusive Financial Times guide to foreign exchange trading
  • eBook
  • 2015
  • Stuart Fieldhouse
  • FT Publishing International
An introduction to the foreign exchange marketplace, showing how the markets work, how to trade them successfully and how to mitigate risk.
Exclusive Mastering financial mathematics in Microsoft Excel: a practical guide to business calculations (3rd edition)
  • eBook
  • 2015
  • Alastair Day
  • FT Publishing International
Fully updated and compliant with Excel 2013, this clearly explains the basic calculations for mathematical finance, backed up with simple templates for further use and development, and a workbook with exercises and solutions at the end of each chapter
Terms of use

You are permitted to access, download, copy, or print out content from eBooks for your own research or study only, subject to the terms of use set by our suppliers and any restrictions imposed by individual publishers. Please see individual supplier pages for full terms of use.

More eBooks

Business press

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides access to leading business, finance and management journals. These journals are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users subject to suppliers' terms of use.
Exclusive UK retailers' worst year ever caps grim outlook for economy
  • Article
  • 21 Jan 2023
  • Tom Rees, Lucy White
  • Bloomberg
UK retail sales fell unexpectedly in December 2022, finishing the worst year on record as a brutal cost-of-living squeeze pointed toward more pain ahead for the economy.
Exclusive Credit binge sees uk shoppers use debt to buy TVs and milk
  • Article
  • 20 Jan 2023
  • Tom Rees, Lucy White
  • Bloomberg
The highest increase in consumer credit card activity in over 18 years appears to have helped the UK's retail sector, as Britons borrow to buy products ranging from high-ticket electronic items to basics such as milk.
Exclusive United Kingdom Infrastructure report
  • Article
  • 01 Jan 2023
  • FitchSolutions
  • United Kingdom Infrastructure Report
An industry report for the UK construction industry. Includes ten-year growth forecasts to 2031.
Exclusive 2023 outlook – the beer industry C-suite has its say
  • Article
  • 13 Dec 2022
  • James Beeson
  • Aroq Just-Food
Just Drinks has spoken to senior figures in some of the beverage sector's biggest names - Carlsberg, Asahi and BrewDog - to find out about their current challenges and insights into consumer demand. In this piece, some of the beer industry's major players have their say on what's to come in 2023.
Exclusive The big cash squeeze: Will fortune favour the bold?
  • Article
  • 01 Dec 2022
  • Credit Management
With a new political landscape, rising inflation, a cost-of-living crisis and increasing pressure from HMRC for payments, many businesses are preparing for a big cash squeeze in 2023. This could push demand for credit management services to a new high, so how is the industry likely to fare?
Exclusive Fighting through the downturn: How CEOs and CFOs can take action together
  • Article
  • 10 Nov 2022
  • Anna King
  • Accounting Today
Advice on what CEOs and CFOs should be doing during an economic downturn, including: gain visibility into where your costs are coming from, set a detailed, graduated budget with milestones, and be pre-emptive in preparing ahead of time.
Exclusive Why automating finance is just an integration game
  • Article
  • 08 Nov 2022
  • Marc Ambasna-Jones
  • Computer Weekly
Marc Ambasna-Jones looks at how the software that powers finance departments can help businesses navigate the worsening economic climate. The article discusses 'hyperautomation', an approach involving rapidly automating as many processes as possible using technology such as robotic process automation (RPA), low-code application platforms (LCAP), artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual assistants.
Exclusive Navigating the perfect storm
  • Article
  • 01 Oct 2022
  • Marcine Johnson
  • Strategic Finance
Businesses have faced many unforeseen issues for the past few years and survived. Now all sectors of business face a new challenge: inflation. Marcine Johnson suggests some strategies to help small businesses cope with the evolving circumstances.
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