Figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that asset finance new business (primarily leasing and hire purchase) grew by 5% in 2016 – the sixth consecutive year of growth. New business in December 2016 fell by 13% compared with the same month in 2015. By sector Plant and machinery finance in...Read More

FEBRUARY 15, 2017 BY THE ENERGYST / Energy efficiency isn’t a priority for many board directors, who would rather spend company cash on revenue generating activities. They are the smart ones, Capitas Finance energy efficiency specialist Jason Hunter tells The Energyst. Finance remains the biggest perceived barrier to energy efficiency investment amongst small and medium-sized enterprises and the...Read More

Prime Minister Theresa May was in the US for talks with President Trump last week Securing the basis of the UK-US trading relationship is one of the UK’s biggest economic priorities after Brexit. But care is clearly needed after the US’s withdrawal from the TPP, demands to renegotiate NAFTA and threats of 20% tariffs on...Read More

Theresa May’s Brexit speech reiterated the Government’s negotiating priorities and spelled out some of the likely consequences. With the triggering of Article 50 at most 10 weeks away the real negotiations will soon begin. Battle of wills.  The fall in the pound since the referendum sits in stark contrast to the recent strength of UK growth....Read More

Rising inequality has been blamed for everything from slow growth to political earthquakes last year, but on at least one sensible measure income inequality in the UK is substantially lower than it was before the recession. Falling inequality. The top 0.1% might be running away with it, but things are getting more even for the...Read More

December’s data indicates a clean sweep of good growth across UK, Europe and US. 2016 went out with a bang. On a high. The UK service sector rounded the year off full of festive cheer. At 56.2 in December the services PMI recorded its highest reading since July 2015 and was above its long-run average. Survey...Read More

Finance House Base Rate (FHBR) is 1% for January 2017 The rate is calculated at the end of each month by averaging the cost of three-month money in the interbank market over the previous eight weeks. The resulting figure is then rounded up to the next half point. The process is entirely arithmetical and contains...Read More

To the tune of Away in a Manger, we wish all of our readers a Merry Christmas, and we’ll be back in January 2017. Come gather, Dear Readers for the last time this year, And enjoy what in our world, represents Christmas cheer, We’ll tell of the economy, In twenty-sixteen, and we’ll start looking forward...Read More

2017 looks like it’s the year for inflation to make a comeback. Will it be a flash then fade? Or something more that requires a bit of policy action? We bet the former. Split.  Britain’s dominant services sector continues to hum along nicely. According to the PMI, growth reached its fastest rate in ten months in...Read More

Italy’s banking sector problems, building financial risks facing the UK and the prospect of higher rates in the US. The year may be drawing to a close but there will be plenty to keep minds focused in 2017. Unwanted. Italy’s economic performance this century has been woeful. Its economic output is little different to the level...Read More