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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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Latest on economy and business environment

Read our latest features and articles on the economy.
A selection of graphical charts
Chart of the week: Inflation
  • Article
  • 19 Dec 2025
  • ICAEW
The Bank of England’s Christmas present to the nation of a cut in interest rates prompts our chart of the week to take a look at what is going under the hood of inflation.
Female in smart attire working on her laptop
Strengthening global relationships in 2025
  • Article
  • 18 Dec 2025
  • ICAEW
In an increasingly interconnected global economy, ICAEW’s international presence plays a vital role in strengthening the accountancy profession, influencing policy, and supporting members wherever they live and work. Find out more about what was achieved this year.
A group of people sat down round a table having a meeting
Member Insights 2025: Lessons in resilience
  • Article
  • 18 Dec 2025
  • ICAEW
Across the year, members navigated a challenging mix of rising employment costs, geopolitical tensions, tariff disruption, subdued consumer confidence and a persistent lack of policy certainty.
Palace of Westminster, London
Influencing policy throughout 2025
  • Article
  • 17 Dec 2025
  • ICAEW
As the Labour government marked its first year in power, ICAEW has worked to ensure members’ views are heard by policymakers on important issues, including employment rights, industrial strategy, apprenticeship funding and audit and corporate governance reform.
Can the government’s Business Growth Service get small businesses growing?
  • Article
  • 15 Dec 2025
  • ICAEW
The Business Growth Service is designed to make it easier for small businesses to find the support they need.
A selection of graphical charts
Chart of the week: Budget 2025 debt blues
  • Article
  • 05 Dec 2025
  • ICAEW
Our chart this week illustrates how despite being a “tax-raising Budget”, the cumulative net effect of all the changes announced last week is to add £61bn to the public sector net debt forecast for 31 March 2030.
Houses of Parliament at night
Budget expected to have negative impact on businesses, says ICAEW
  • Article
  • 04 Dec 2025
  • ICAEW
An ICAEW poll has found that close to three-quarters of respondents agreed the Budget would negatively impact their organisation.
Iain Wright, Guy Ruddle and Frances Haque
Budget 25: where’s the growth?
  • Podcast
  • 01 Dec 2025
  • ICAEW
This episode is all about the Budget. What was in it? What are the implications? Was there anything positive to glean from it?
Read more

ICAEW Business Confidence Monitor

Read the latest BCM reports

Business Confidence Monitor (BCM) is one of the largest and most comprehensive quarterly surveys of UK business confidence. National, regional and sector reports are available.
View BCM reports
A dial with the ICAEW dividers acting as the needle, and a question mark hovering over it.

UK Economic Update

Monthly bulletins from ICAEW, tracking key trends and developments in the UK economy.
Understanding the economic implications of the Budget
  • Article
  • Nov 2025
Economic update: ICAEW’s Economies Director Suren Thiru discusses the implications of the Budget, what you need to know about current economic conditions and key points to watch.
Economic update: why the Budget is casting a long shadow over the UK economy
  • Article
  • Oct 2025
The UK economy struggles to grow in October. Business confidence continues to fall amid record high concerns over tax ahead of next month’s Budget. ICAEW’s Economies Director Suren Thiru discusses the implications, what you need to know about current economic conditions and key points to watch.
Economic update: why the UK economy is struggling for momentum
  • Article
  • Sep 2025
The UK economy continues to struggle as inflation remains uncomfortably high, and the labour market continues to weaken. ICAEW’s Economies Director Suren Thiru discusses the implications.
Economic update: the UK economy faces a difficult road ahead
  • Article
  • Aug 2025
The UK economy is feeling the effects of growing domestic and international headwinds as GDP slows and inflation continues to rise. ICAEW’s Economies Director Suren Thiru discusses the implications.
Economic update: confidence dips as inflation and job worries rise
  • Article
  • Jul 2025
Anxiety over the health of the UK economy grows as GDP and business confidence contracts, while unemployment and inflation rise. ICAEW’s Economies Director Suren Thiru discusses the implications.
Economic update: Why UK economic conditions have taken a turn for the worse
  • Article
  • Jun 2025
The UK economy weakens as domestic and global challenges continue to grow. ICAEW’s Economies Director Suren Thiru discusses the implications.
How Trump tariffs temporarily boosted the UK economy
  • Article
  • May 2025
This month’s economic update explores how the UK enjoyed a deceptively strong start to 2025 as inflation surges once again. ICAEW’s Economies Director Suren Thiru discusses the implications.
Economic update: key trends ahead of the Spring Statement
  • Article
  • Mar 2025
The UK economy endured a poor start to 2025 amid January’s financial market turbulence. ICAEW’s Economies Director Suren Thiru discusses the implications.

Other reports from ICAEW

Webinars and podcasts

Iain Wright, Guy Ruddle and Frances Haque
Budget 25: where’s the growth?
  • Podcast
  • 01 Dec 2025
This episode is all about the Budget. What was in it? What are the implications? Was there anything positive to glean from it?
Kemi Badenoch with Alan Vallance at Chartered Accountants' Hall
Kemi Badenoch on growth and the profession
  • Podcast
  • 18 Sep 2025
In this special episode of Accountancy Insights, we bring you a timely interview of Kemi Badenoch by ICAEW’s Chief Executive Alan Vallance who sat down with her after a speech she gave at Chartered Accountants’ Hall.
A photo of Keir Starmer
Appraising Starmer’s Labour
  • Podcast
  • 15 Jul 2025
In this episode of Behind the Numbers, we discuss the hits and misses of the Labour government’s first year in power.
a newspaper origami boat on a sea of data numbers
Inside the Industrial Strategy and navigating VAT reform
  • Podcast
  • 08 Jul 2025
In this episode, we discuss the government’s new Industrial Strategy and, in particular, its sector plan for professional and business services.
a photo of four colleagues wearing lanyards and standing around a table discussing a work project, while plans are taped to the walls behind them
Supporting SME growth and professional judgement in audit
  • Podcast
  • 13 Jun 2025
We discuss how SMEs can pursue growth amid economic uncertainty and how auditors should exercise professional judgement and scepticism.
Exclusive Factors, forecasts and the future - what determines the price of energy?
  • Webinar
  • 13 May 2025
This webinar sets out a range of knowledge and tools to help businesses to navigate the energy landscape effectively and stay resilient.
UK pound coins sitting on top of unspecified HMRC forms.
Collecting unpaid taxes and revisions to the Code of Ethics
  • Podcast
  • 12 May 2025
In this episode, we discuss the government’s new measures to collect billions of pounds in unpaid taxes, as well as covering the key changes to ICAEW’s Code of Ethics, which come into effect on 1 July 2025.
Photo of airplane beiong loaded with shipping containers
Adapting post-tariffs, MTD at 10, UK GAAP changes
  • Podcast
  • 09 Apr 2025
In this episode, we discuss how the Trump administration’s tariffs will hamper the government’s growth plans, the progress made towards Making Tax Digital on its tenth birthday, and how changes to FRS 102 and 105 will affect the nation’s small businesses.
More webinars

Support from the Library

Doing business in...

Use the ICAEW Library's country profiles to explore the key issues for doing business in over 130 countries and jurisdictions. Find business guides and trade data, check the economic and political outlook, and get help with company research.
See country guides
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External resources

KPMG UK Economic Outlook
  • Website
  • KPMG
KPMG's regular UK Economic Outlook looks at prospects for the economy, providing economic forecasts and analysis from KPMG’s global team of economists.
OECD UK Economic snapshot
  • Website
  • Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
OECD snapshot of the UK economy, providing economic projection data and covering structural reform priorities.
Office for National Statistics: Economy
  • Website
  • Office for National Statistics
Data on UK economic activity, covering production, distribution, consumption and trade of goods and services.
PwC UK Economic Outlook
  • Website
  • PwC
PwC's latest bi-annual analysis of the UK economy, spotlighting growth, inflation and the labour market.
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