Business News Articles

Interest rates held again at 0.5%
The Bank of England have held interest rates at their historic low of 0.5% and decided to inject another £25bn into the UK economy by extending their programme of quantitative easing. The rate hold - the eighth month that interest rates have now been at their current record low - was widely expected but economists had been unsure whether the Bank would extend its quantitative easing scheme. ... more

Factory output increases 1.7%
British factory output rose in September at its fastest rate for seven years, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS figures revealed that manufacturing production rose by 1.7%, following a 2% drop in August. This is the biggest monthly rise since July 2002 and much higher than the 1% gain that has been predicted. Overall industrial output, which also includes mining ... more

New car sales rise 30%
New car sales have increased 31% in October compared to the same month last year, according to figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). There were 168,942 new cars registered last month, up 31.6% up on the same month in 2008. ''Encouragingly, there has also been an increase in demand in the fleet and business sectors, which will be critical in sustaining rec... more

SME bosses ignoring employee anxiety
Stress, anxiety and depression are undermining productivity at small businesses with a quarter of staff describing their mental health as moderate or poor, according to data released by the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD). The CIPD's research revealed that 56% of employees with poor mental health say they have taken time off sick and more than 90% said it negatively aff... more

Sir Alan calls SME bosses ‘moaners’
Business tsar Sir Alan Sugar has dismissed struggling small business owners as ‘moaners' in an extraordinary rant at a question-and-answer session for bosses of small to medium-sized businesses in Manchester. The star of The Apprentice claimed that a mere 15% of businesses turned down for bank loans had anything to complain about and that most of them needed an 'insolvency practitioner' rathe... more

Gov unveil world’s biggest bank bail-out
Chancellor Alistair Darling has unveiled the world's biggest banking bail-out as the government invested another £40bn into Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Lloyds. The government has increased the taxpayer's stake in RBS by £33bn and in Lloyds by £5.7bn. The additional money to the two banks is the equivalent to £2,000 for every family in the UK. In return for the support the two banks ... more

£1m boost for young entrepreneurs
Young entrepreneurs have been given a boost by news that the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has invested £1m into The Prince's Trust. The money will enable youth charity, The Prince's Trust, to help unemployed young people explore the viability of their business plans, develop their initial ideas and bring their businesses to life. "It is inspiring to see young people turnin... more

Entrepreneurs motivated by adversity
Personal adversity has been the main motivation behind the success of many entrepreneurs, according to a survey by social enterprise charity the Aldridge Foundation. The survey found that 69% of entrepreneurs said that overcoming personal adversity was their main motivation to achieve, 56% said determination was the most important factor for a successful entrepreneur and 22% cited passion. R... more

Factory output rises sharply
Factory orders in the UK in October grew at the fastest pace for six years and factory activity rose at its fastest pace in two years, according to data released by The Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS). The CIPS index grew to 53.7 from 49.9 in September, reaching its highest level since November 2007. "The massive increase in output will cement expectations of a recovery in ... more

CBI: Business confidence rising
Small and medium-sized companies in the UK are feeling more confident about their business prospects than at any time since April 2007, according to data released by Confederation of British Industry (CBI). The CBI said that while more SMEs had actually seen demand for their goods fall than rise over the past quarter, trading was improving and businesses were feeling increasingly optimistic. ... more