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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.
HMRC interest rates to increase in April
  • Article
  • 28 Mar 2023
  • ICAEW
Following the Monetary Policy Committee decision to increase the Bank of England base rate to 4.25%, HMRC has announced increases to both the interest charged on late paid tax and the rate paid on repayments of tax.
UK interest rates rise to 4.25%
  • Article
  • 23 Mar 2023
  • ICAEW
Eleventh successive hike since December 2021 from the Monetary Policy Committee lifts interest rates in the UK to their highest level since October 2008.
Surprise inflation rise causes interest rate headache
  • Article
  • 22 Mar 2023
  • ICAEW
Official data reveals that UK inflation rose for the first time in six months in February amid vegetable shortages, leaving the Bank of England with a tough decision on interest rates.
ICAEW-hosted Labour Business Network analyses Spring Budget
  • Article
  • 22 Mar 2023
  • ICAEW
Business rates, SME late payments and net zero were among subjects tackled by Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Industrial Strategy, Jonathan Reynolds MP, in an ICAEW-hosted business Q&A.
Public sector finances return to red
  • Article
  • 21 Mar 2023
  • ICAEW
February fiscal deficit hits £17bn, while the cumulative deficit for 11 months of £132bn doesn’t include backdated public sector pay awards.
Investors to probe FTSE companies on climate change and diversity
  • Article
  • 20 Mar 2023
  • ICAEW
Women and people from minority ethnic groups on boards will be a major focus of the annual general meetings season this year.
Business-positive Budget, with a pensions shake-up
  • Article
  • 16 Mar 2023
  • ICAEW
The Chancellor’s focus was fixed on business investment and growth after a better than expected OBR forecast. But much of the funding allocated for this is small fry.
What do early-year retail redundancies mean for the sector in 2023?
  • Article
  • 13 Mar 2023
  • ICAEW
Thousands of UK retail workers lost their jobs in the first two months of the year – what are the prospects for the sector as a whole for the rest of this year?
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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

F&A’s role in responding to instability & volatility
  • Report
  • Mar 2023
Download the new whitepaper based on research by BlackLine and Censuswide.
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 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
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.
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 Britain's property surveyors see improvement in housing market
  • Article
  • 08 Mar 2023
  • Tom Rees
  • Bloomberg
UK property surveyors saw flickers of life return to the housing market in February 2023, as both buyers and sellers returned to lift sales. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said that house prices suffered another decline, but its more forward-looking survey also pointed to signs of improvement despite higher mortgage costs.
Exclusive BOE policymaker sees signs of 'Revival' in UK housing market
  • Article
  • 07 Mar 2023
  • Tom Rees, Lucy White
  • Bloomberg
Bank of England rate-setter Catherine Mann sees signs of a "revival" emerging in the UK's property market, as Halifax reported the fastest rise in house prices since June 2022. Most property forecasters still expect UK house prices will decline during 2023.
Exclusive UK retail sales rise unexpectedly with January discounting
  • Article
  • 17 Feb 2023
  • Lucy White
  • Bloomberg
UK retail sales rose unexpectedly in January 2023, after post-Christmas discounting brought shoppers into stores.
Exclusive Official statistics confirm UK house prices are falling
  • Article
  • 15 Feb 2023
  • Tom Rees
  • Bloomberg
UK house prices have officially slipped down for the first time in over a year, according to December 2022 data - as a surge in mortgage rates cools demand in the property market. Forecasters are expecting a further fall in house prices in 2023.
Exclusive UK property surveyors say buyers disappearing after rate rise
  • Article
  • 08 Feb 2023
  • Lucy White
  • Bloomberg
The UK housing market appeared to settle further into hibernation in January 2023. According to property surveyors, buyer inquiries, agreed sales and new instructions to sell all slumped again. However while house prices have fallen at the start of 2023, the cost of renting a home is surging.
Exclusive The hottest property in the job market right now is the CFO
  • Article
  • 26 Jan 2023
  • Sabah Meddings
  • Bloomberg
As inflation and higher interest rates signal the end of easy credit, companies are seeking more from their finance directors. CFOs from Nestle SA, Coca-Cola and toothpaste-maker Haleon give advice to other finance executives on coping with the changing demands of the role.
Exclusive Europe is bracing for a sharp and abrupt real estate reversal
  • Article
  • 23 Jan 2023
  • Jack Sidders
  • Bloomberg
Turmoil at trophy properties in London and Frankfurt offers a glimpse of the damage awaiting European real estate investors as they face sharp valuation declines. Europe's lenders will be prodded to act more aggressively on bad loans by new regulations designed to contain real estate lending risks.
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.
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