Business News Articles

Small firms see export orders stabilise
Small and medium-sized businesses have seen their export orders stabilise after seven quarters of decline, according to a survey by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). The survey reveals that 27% of respondents saw their export orders rise in November to January, while 25% said they fell, creating a balance of +2%. The balance of +2% was the strongest performance for exports since J... more

House prices rise 1.2%
UK house prices increased by 1.2% in January, according to the latest information released by the Nationwide building society. House prices have now risen for nine months in succession and the average UK home now costs £163,481. "House prices strengthened their upward momentum at the start of 2010, increasing by a seasonally adjusted 1.2% month-on-month in January," said Martin Gahbauer, th... more

Fathers to receive extra paternity leave
Small business owners have been warned over new laws that have been passed which give fathers the right to six months' paternity leave. Currently fathers get just two weeks leave after the birth of their child, but the new legislation effectively allows parents to divide the mother's twelve-month maternity allowance between them. Fathers of children born after 3 April 2011 will be entitled t... more

SMEs warned over new discrimination laws
Small business owners have been warned that they need to be ready for major changes to UK discrimination law planned in 2010. According to law firm Mace & Jones, planned changes to compulsory retirement ages and the impending Equality Bill represent "the biggest change in discrimination law in a generation." The proposed changes cover race, gender, religion and belief, sexual orientation, ma... more

UK economy exits recession
The UK economy grew by 0.1% in the final quarter of last year, meaning that the country has exited recession, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics. The economy had contacted for six consecutive quarters, since the April-June quarter of 2008. Since then the economy has declined by 6%. The UK is one of the last major economies to exit recession and the 0.1% growt... more

Over 1m made redundant in recession
The impact of the recession on unemployment is deeper than headline figures suggest, with 1.3m people being made redundant since the downturn commenced, according to data released by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). The CIPD's study also revealed that there were 6.2m fresh claims for jobseeker's allowance between April 2008 and November 2009 - seven-and-a-half times ... more

New law extends rights of agency workers
Small business owners have been warned that they will have to give agency workers the same rights as permanent staff after new legislation was passed in Parliament. The Agency Workers Regulations 2010 state that agency workers must be given the same pay, holidays and other basic conditions as directly recruited staff if they have been in the job more than 12 weeks. However, the new rules wil... more

50% of SMEs don’t know breakeven point
Almost half of small business owners don't know what their breakeven point is, according to research from Business Link. The government agency also found that 29% have no effective form of cashflow management, while 45% have no efficient system in place to chase unpaid invoices. "Sound financial management should be the bread and butter of every business, especially during these tough econom... more

Manufacturing sector returns to growth
Manufacturing production in the UK has risen for the first time in two years, according to data released by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). The business group's latest quarterly Industrial Trends Survey revealed a stronger than expected rise in output in the three months to January. Of the 461 manufacturers surveyed, 31% said output rose during the three-month period, while 20% ... more

Mortgage lending increases 14%
UK mortgage lending increased by 14% in December from the previous month, according to data released by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). Gross mortgage lending reached an estimated £13.7 billion in December, a 14% rise from £12.1 billion in November. This is a 3% rise on December 2008's figures and the first time the annual monthly comparison has been in positive territory since October... more