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Economy and business environment articles

Read our latest features and articles on the economy and business environment.
Displaying 1-30 of 662 results
Group of people around a table having a meeting
Cathay Group’s CFO on dealing with uncertainty
  • Article
  • 21 May 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Rebecca Sharpe became CFO of Cathay Group at the most difficult time in its history. She shares the measures that took the group back to profitability.
Two people looking at the laptop having a conversation
Debt finance education key to boosting SME uptake
  • Article
  • 20 May 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
ICAEW’s response to the government’s call for evidence on small business access to finance also highlights concerns about cost, time and red tape as stalling uptake of debt finance.
Houses of Parliament
UK-EU Summit yields recognition of professional qualifications success
  • Article
  • 20 May 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
ICAEW welcomes agreement on dedicated dialogues on the recognition of professional qualifications to create a forum to address mobility barriers faced by UK services providers in the EU.
Thumbnail image for UK population 2025 chart of the week
Chart of the week: UK population
  • Article
  • 16 May 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Our chart this week looks at how the number of people living in the UK is now expected to reach 70m this year.
Group of people around a table having a meeting
How to grow: mitigating rising employment costs
  • Article
  • 14 May 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Recent rises in employers’ National Insurance contributions and the national minimum wage have left businesses with very little room to pursue growth and innovation plans.
Cityscape at twilight
Skills and standards at heart of updated ICAEW strategy
  • Article
  • 13 May 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
ICAEW has committed to ensuring members have the support needed to adapt and thrive in an AI-enabled world as it looks to its 150th anniversary in 2030.
UK pound coins sitting on top of unspecified HMRC forms.
Collecting unpaid taxes and revisions to the Code of Ethics
  • Podcast
  • 12 May 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
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.
A chart illustrating how the increase in the net debt to GDP ratio reflected an increase in the numerator from borrowing of 184% of GDP, partially offset by 42% of GDP from the ‘inflating away’ effect of economic growth and inflation on the denominator.
Chart of the week: End of the first quarter (century)
  • Article
  • 09 May 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Our chart this week marks the end of the first fiscal quarter of the 21st century on 31 March 2025 by comparing it with the previous four quarters in the 20th century.
silver car auto factory assembly line man employee engineer ICAEW economy business
Steel, farmers and cars to benefit from UK-US deal
  • Article
  • 09 May 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
While the baseline 10% tariff stands, the new UK-US trade deal reduces tariffs on cars, removes them from steel, and offers a tariff-free quota for UK beef.
Group of people around a table having a meeting
New UK-India deal offers boost in uncertain times
  • Article
  • 07 May 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
ICAEW has welcomed the announcement of a new free trade agreement between the UK and India, which will reduce tariffs and other measures impacting the trade of goods and services between the countries.
Carol Handa FCA, CFO at Bruce’s Doggy Day Care
Lessons from the top: Carol Handa FCA
  • Article
  • 06 May 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Over her 20-year career, Carol Handa FCA has made a habit of embracing the unknown. Now CFO at Bruce’s Doggy Day Care, she’s supercharging the business’s growth trajectory and putting the lessons of her varied career into practice.
chart of the week thumbnail image for 2 may 2025
Chart of the week: Canada’s trade with the US
  • Article
  • 02 May 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Our chart this week takes a look at trade between the US and Canada, a major factor in Canada’s recent general election.
Group of people around a table having a meeting
Access to skills: are apprenticeships the answer?
  • Article
  • 30 Apr 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Getting the right skills can hinder growth and businesses are struggling to get the right people. But some are finding solutions by welcoming young workers and embracing strong development programmes.
A group of people sat down round a table having a meeting
Member Insights: April 2025
  • Article
  • 30 Apr 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
The impact of US tariffs has further compounded an already challenging business environment, plagued with uncertainty and regulatory upheaval.
London Westminster
Influencing policy to support you: April 2025
  • Article
  • 30 Apr 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
This month, ICAEW has been working to share members’ thoughts with policymakers on the potential impacts of the Employment Rights Bill, reactions to US trade tariffs and recognition of professional services in the UK’s Industrial Strategy.
Group of people around a table having a meeting
How to raise finance to scale up your business
  • Article
  • 28 Apr 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
From start-up to scale-up: understanding the expectations of lenders and funders and getting your financial ducks in a row will oil the cogs for raising finance.
chart of the week thumbnail image 25 April 2025
Chart of the week: One trillion pounds (almost)
  • Article
  • 25 Apr 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Our chart this week takes a look at how UK public sector net debt has increased from £1,816bn to £2,814bn over the past five years – an increase just £2bn short of £1tn.
Group of people around a table having a meeting
How US tariffs are complicating UK’s economic outlook
  • Article
  • 24 Apr 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Positive economic data masks deeper trouble as business confidence sinks under rising tax and tariff fears. ICAEW’s Economies Director Suren Thiru discusses the implications.
Group of people around a table having a meeting
Green budgeting: driving sustainable growth through smart planning
  • Article
  • 22 Apr 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
ICAEW is combining its public sector and sustainability expertise to assess the role that ‘green budgeting’ plays in achieving economic and environmental prosperity.
Group of people around a table having a meeting
Tackling six existing growth barriers will help mitigate uncertainty
  • Article
  • 22 Apr 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
The UK government’s plans to kickstart growth have been thrown off course, but acting to address existing growth barriers could help organisations to weather the storm, says ICAEW.
Group of people around a table having a meeting
How to survive scaling up
  • Article
  • 22 Apr 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Scaling up is a complex mission in which only very few businesses succeed. But with the right foundations, you can mitigate most of the risks.
Group of people around a table having a meeting
Planning for uncertainty: five tips for accountants
  • Article
  • 17 Apr 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Struggling to plan growth or forecasts during the turbulent Trump tariffs? ICAEW offers practical support to help finance practitioners steer their organisations through uncertainty.
Chart of the week 16 April thumbnail image
Chart of the week: Regional incomes
  • Article
  • 17 Apr 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Our chart this week looks at how median household disposable income varies across the UK, with the South East region topping the rankings and the West Midlands region at the bottom.
Group of people around a table having a meeting
The importance of people and culture when scaling up
  • Article
  • 17 Apr 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Understanding how to create and nurture the right company culture is a key element in ensuring the success of a growing business.
Group of people around a table having a meeting
Tariff and tax woes weaken UK business confidence
  • Article
  • 15 Apr 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Soaring tax concerns and US tariffs have dragged UK business confidence back into the red, according to ICAEW analysis, as accountants call for urgent government action.
Chart of the week thumbanil image for 10 April 2025
Chart of the week: US and China trade
  • Article
  • 11 Apr 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Our chart this week looks at trade between the US and China following the 145% tariffs imposed on China by President Trump in the latest twist in his global trade war.
Photo of airplane beiong loaded with shipping containers
Adapting post-tariffs, MTD at 10, UK GAAP changes
  • Podcast
  • 09 Apr 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
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.
chart
Chart of the week: trade with the US
  • Article
  • 04 Apr 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Our chart this week looks at trade with the US in light of the 10% tariffs imposed on the UK by President Trump on ‘liberation day’.
US blanket tariffs eliminate UK growth projections
  • Article
  • 03 Apr 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
The UK economic picture as set out in the Spring Statement is in jeopardy after President Trump imposes tariffs worldwide.
A pair of hands typing on the laptop keyboard
Chancellor tightens screws to slow public finance deterioration
  • Article
  • 28 Mar 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Rachel Reeves used her first Spring Statement to set out a series of strict objectives to bring the public finances back under control.
Displaying 1-30 of 662 results
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