EMPLOYMENT SThree sees bleak outlook for job market The Times The white-collar jobs market is expected to remain down for most of next year due to economic and global uncertainties, according to Timo Lehne, CEO of SThree. The main reason for the downturn is...

REGULATION Banks exit Lending Standards Board Sky News HSBC and Lloyds Banking Group have announced their withdrawal from the Lending Standards Board (LSB), a self-regulatory body established to improve lending practices following the 2008 financial crisis. This...

TAX Chancellor refuses to rule out tax rises next year The Daily Telegraph Daily Mail Rachel Reeves has indicated that future tax increases cannot be ruled out, saying: “I can't write five years' worth of budgets in just the first five months of government.” Following...

REGULATION Regulatory red tape stifles UK economy The Times Lord Sedwill, the former cabinet secretary, has endorsed calls to reduce regulatory red tape, asserting it hampers the UK economy. A report from the Policy Exchange think tank revealed that the headcounts of...

OUTLOOK UK business confidence collapses The Independent UK UK business confidence has reached its lowest point in nearly two years, according to the latest Business Trends Report by BDO. The BDO optimism index fell by 5.81 points to 93.49 in November, marking the...

OUTLOOK BoE: Over half of UK firms plan to raise prices Reuters The Daily Telegraph City AM Daily Express According to a survey by the Bank of England, over half of UK firms anticipate raising prices due to Labour’s recent National Insurance hike. Specifically, 54% of...

OUTLOOK Services sector confidence falls to two year low City AM Confidence among firms in the services sector has fallen to its lowest level in nearly two years, according to S&P’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI). The index shows that business expectations for...

OUTLOOK Foreign buyers in £7.8bn raid on UK firms City AM Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that foreign buyers targeted UK companies in Q3, launching deals worth £7.8bn. While foreign spending on UK companies rose by 16% between July and September,...

OUTLOOK Bosses lack confidence in the Government City AM Just one in four business leaders has confidence in the Government to deliver economic growth, according to a poll by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). While 81% said they were not confident...

FINANCING Crowdfunding reforms threaten the economy The Times The UK Crowdfunding Association has warned that the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) stringent reforms could cost the economy up to £16bn in "lost investment" and hinder small businesses' access to...