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.... Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “With the UK’s departure from the EU on the horizon, businesses will be concerned by the shadow chancellor’s proposals for widespread and deep intervention across the economy. Proposals to nationalise key industries would put business investment in the deep freeze at precisely the time that it is needed most. ...
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....”. France, Italy and Germany are expected to grow faster than Britain as uncertainty from Brexit continues to hit consumer confidence and deters business investment, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. ...
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.... You would be wrong. The OBR makes forecasts showing us the path for interest rates, inflation, employment, wages, business investment and tax receipts based on the Treasury’s plans, however crazy they might be. ...
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....The Bank of England has nevertheless said it is likely to raise interest rates at its next meeting on 2 November in the expectation that full employment will raise wage rates and keep inflation above its 2% target next year. Bank chiefs have forecast that stronger exports will help offset weaker business investment and uncertain consumer demand. ...
[Read full article on Guardian]

. Italy, France and Germany will grow faster than Britain next year as Brexit uncertainty continues to weigh on consumer confidence and deter much-needed business investment, according to the latest economic forecasts by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. ...
[Read full article on Guardian]

Latest Finance News related to Business Investment

....”. France, Italy and Germany are expected to grow faster than Britain as uncertainty from Brexit continues to hit consumer confidence and deters business investment, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. ...

.... Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “With the UK’s departure from the EU on the horizon, businesses will be concerned by the shadow chancellor’s proposals for widespread and deep intervention across the economy. Proposals to nationalise key industries would put business investment in the deep freeze at precisely the time that it is needed most. ...

.... You would be wrong. The OBR makes forecasts showing us the path for interest rates, inflation, employment, wages, business investment and tax receipts based on the Treasury’s plans, however crazy they might be. ...

....The Bank of England has nevertheless said it is likely to raise interest rates at its next meeting on 2 November in the expectation that full employment will raise wage rates and keep inflation above its 2% target next year. Bank chiefs have forecast that stronger exports will help offset weaker business investment and uncertain consumer demand. ...

. Italy, France and Germany will grow faster than Britain next year as Brexit uncertainty continues to weigh on consumer confidence and deter much-needed business investment, according to the latest economic forecasts by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. ...

.... "And our forecast is for rates to rise a further three times next year, as the economy performs better than the MPC’s forecasts currently envisage. "The group believes the economy is at a turning point where trade and business investment will increase over the coming months, prompting rising inflation and further rate hikes from the Bank. ...

.... The consultancy Pantheon Macroeconomics said this suggests firms will only invest cautiously in extra capacity. The latest official figures from the Office for National Statistics show this to be the case in the three months to June, when business investment contributed nothing to economic growth. ...

....Either way it spells trouble for an economy dependent on consumer spending to drive GDP growth. With business investment in the doldrums and exports unable to make much headway despite the low pound, the consumer is the linchpin preventing the economy stalling altogether. ...

....After a 0. 6% expansion in the first quarter, the flat level of business investment in the three months to June was particularly disappointing to economists, and could point to firms’ concerns and uncertainties over Brexit limiting spending decisions. ...

....There are still good months and bad months for the eurozone, but in the main, it is looking healthier than at any time in the last five years and many Germans in particular, keen for higher interest on their savings, want the drip withdrawn and interest rates to rise. To emphasise the point, eurozone economic surveys for July were buoyed by improvements in manufacturing output while employment continued to grow and business investment remained stable. ...

.... Previously it forecast that a rate rise would take place after the second quarter of 2019, when Britain had left the European Union. A rise in business investment and productivity would spur a broad-based recovery that would allow the central bank to at least reverse the emergency cut last August. ...

....4% in 2018. John Hawksworth, the chief economist at PwC, said: “Brexit-related uncertainty may hold back business investment, but this should be partly offset by planned rises in public investment. ...

....25% to keep inflation in check. Much of the debate has centred around whether stronger exports and business investment can offset a slowdown in consumer spending as households grapple with higher living costs. ...

....But he has delivered the same message for the past three years, only to backtrack later on. Wage rises have consistently failed to take off, and business investment, the spur for improvements in productivity, has flatlined. ...

....The governor stressed that certain conditions needed to be met before he would side with MPC members pressing for higher rates, and hinted that he would not change his vote at their next meeting in August. “When the MPC last met earlier this month, my view was that given the mixed signals on consumer spending and business investment, it was too early to judge with confidence how large and persistent the slowdown in growth would prove,” Carney said at a gathering of central bankers in Portugal. ...

....In his delayed speech to the City of London’s elite at Mansion House, Carney explained why he was one of five of eight members voting for no change in borrowing costs. “From my perspective, given the mixed signals on consumer spending and business investment, and given the still subdued domestic inflationary pressures, in particular anaemic wage growth, now is not yet the time to begin that adjustment [to higher rates]. ...

....“But very little has changed in our view of the nature of the outlook. Growth will be slower in the years ahead as living standards are hit by rising inflation; and after some initial strength, uncertainty will weigh on business investment. ...

.... They noted inflation was now expected to overshoot the Bank’s target by more than previously expected. Supporting those voting for a rate rise, there were also signs that growth in business investment and net trade was on track to make up for weaker consumption. ...

....6% for 2017 and 2018 respectively. The think tank downgraded its outlook for the US, despite a weaker dollar boosting exports and tax cuts supporting household spending and business investment. ...

....But echoing recent signs that consumers have become more cautious, the group said the pound’s sharp drop since the Brexit vote had pushed up inflation, denting household income growth and household spending. It also warned business investment would decline sharply, amid continuing uncertainty about the future relationship between the UK and the EU. ...

.... In the last quarter, the number of companies convinced their profit forecasts were on target or likely to exceed expectations was at a three-year high. Yet in the three months before Christmas, business investment actually fell 0. ...

....There do not appear to be any such concerns in Canada, however, where the national statistics agency said real gross domestic product grew at an annualised rate of 3. 7% in the first three months of the year, helped most recently by a boost to household spending and a turnaround in business investment. ...

....A deeper look into the figures shows that much of the deterioration in the UK’s net trade position was down to higher import costs, mostly in response to the declining value of sterling – not a fall in exports. Also, business investment rose on an annual basis for the first time in over a year, and the second quarter began with a bit more momentum than previously believed. ...

....The ONS added that the construction and manufacturing sectors showed "little growth", but said business services and finance "continued to grow strongly". There was also good news from business investment, which rose by 0. ...

....The squeeze on household budgets will have repercussions for an economy that is highly reliant on consumer spending to drive growth. But the Bank’s policymakers said weaker consumer spending would be offset by rising business investment and an improving trade performance as the weak pound and solid overseas demand boost exports. ...

....The central bank said it viewed "the slowing in growth during the first quarter as likely to be transitory" and still expected economic activity to "expand at a moderate pace". The statement, released after the Fed's May meeting, pointed to stronger business investment and downplayed modest growth in household spending. ...

....Scott Greenberg, a policy analyst at the conservative Tax Foundation, explained the rationale behind the administration’s assertion on Wednesday that the new lower business tax in Trump’s plan was aimed at stimulating economic growth. “The motivation behind such proposals I think comes from, number one, a desire to lower taxes on businesses generally, recognizing that investment is potentially particularly sensitive to taxes, which might provide a rationale for lowering taxes specifically on business investments,” Greenberg said. ...

....The British economy’s failure to wean itself off an addiction to growth fuelled by an expanding consumer debt bubble is bad for consumers, and bad for the economy as a whole. It is no substitute for business investment, which the OECD has forecast will fall sharply in future years in a post-Brexit climate of uncertainty. ...

....The point about the OBR is that it is independent and thoroughly trustworthy. Its best assessment is that business investment will suffer from Brexit, as will trade, consumer spending and the quality of life generally, not to say the budgetary finances. ...

.... The Bank blamed the sharp fall in sterling feeding through to higher prices, reducing households’ purchasing power. At the same time, the weaker pound and stronger world economy had led to a “marked rise” in export volume growth and business investment intentions had picked up, pointing to modest growth in company spending this year, the Bank’s report said. ...

. Financial markets seem convinced that the recent surge in business and consumer confidence in the US economy will soon be reflected in “hard” data, such as GDP growth, business investment, consumption, and wages. ...

...."While businesspeople appreciate a steady hand on the tiller, the government is sending mixed signals by holding investment largely steady at precisely the time that it is exhorting British businesses to double down. "More needs to be done in the coming months to improve infrastructure and encourage lagging business investment to ensure the UK is Brexit-ready. ...

....The OECD report said: “In the United Kingdom, the pace of expansion in 2016 was lower than in previous years, despite support from resilient household spending, actions by the Bank of England and adjustment to the fiscal stance following the Brexit vote. “UK growth is expected to ease further as rising inflation weighs on real incomes and consumption, and business investment weakens amidst uncertainty about the United Kingdom’s future trading relations with its partners. ...

.... The UK had the highest business property taxes in the developed world even before the recent revaluation – hammering firms with sky-high costs before they turn over a single pound. This undermines business investment, which in 2016, fell for the first time in seven years. ...

.... That is not just good news for the government finances in the current year, it also provides a higher baseline for projections of GDP growth over the rest of the parliament, possibly boosting the government’s coffers by as much as £30bn–£40bn. In addition, the OBR has pencilled in a recovery in business investment – partly to take account of the tightening labour market, which should force employers to adopt new technology at a faster rate, and partly in expectation that the chancellor will boost public investment will have positive spin-off effects. ...

....The doomsayers may yet have their day. Theresa May could lead Britain to a position where it leaves the EU, the single market and the customs union with terrible consequences for trade, business investment and GDP growth. ...

.... That is not just good news for the government finances in the current year, it also provides a higher baseline for projections of GDP growth over the rest of the parliament, possibly boosting the government’s coffers by as much as £30bn–£40bn. In addition, the OBR has pencilled in a recovery in business investment – partly to take account of the tightening labour market, which should force employers to adopt new technology at a faster rate, and partly in expectation that the chancellor will boost public investment will have positive spin-off effects. ...

....It is predicting a 2% rise in UK house prices over the course of the year. "We, along with most other forecasters, expect the UK economy to slow through 2017 as heightened uncertainty weighs on business investment and hiring," said Robert Gardner, Nationwide's chief economist. ...

....The leading tax and spending thinktank said downgrades in GDP growth over the next four years would strain the public finances, which are already on course to be £13bn worse off in this financial year than forecast. Low levels of business investment and weak productivity growth were blamed for the economy’s weaker outlook for the rest of the decade, which will force ministers to raise taxes and cut spending to reduce the deficit. ...

....Unions also called for the government to step in with funding to save the plant if Toshiba pulled out. “It looks increasingly like bad business investments may have busted Toshiba’s role in a new nuclear facility at Moorside in Cumbria,” said Justin Bowden, the GMB’s national secretary for energy. ...

.... However, there are tentative signs that conditions may be about to soften. “The economy is likely to slow through 2017 as the squeeze on household budgets intensifies and heightened uncertainty weighs on business investment and hiring. ...

....But there have been other lapses, too. For example, political obstacles to comprehensive economic policymaking in many advanced economies have undermined the implementation of structural reforms and responsive fiscal policies in recent years, holding back business investment, undermining productivity growth, worsening inequality, and threatening future potential growth. ...

....The US economy slowed last year to register its worst performance since 2011 after the strong dollar sent exports tumbling and encouraged American businesses to import cheaper components from abroad. But the worsening trade position was offset by increases in consumer spending and business investment that analysts said would hand President Donald Trump a strong and growing economy. ...

....Samuel Tombs, the chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, warned: “The economy’s brisk growth at the end of 2016 has all the hallmarks of being driven by an unsustainable consumer spending spree. “We continue to expect slowdowns in business investment and consumer spending to cause GDP growth to slow to an average quarter-on-quarter rate of just 0. ...

.... No other country has tried to do it. There is no past experience to draw on, which means that the best forecasters can do is construct “a series of scenarios based on assumptions about future trading arrangements, migration controls and about the short-term uncertainties which could affect business investment in the run-up to the likely leaving date of 2019”. ...

.... UK workers need to see a much improved productivity performance if they are to enjoy a sustained improvement in real pay,” he said. “This above all requires far stronger business investment in technology and skills and much improved management practices. ...

....6%. Forecasts by the Treasury, the International Monetary Fund and the Paris-based OECD, all pointed to a recession after the vote, based on assumptions of steeply declining consumer spending and business investment. ...

.... We consider it most likely that the UK economy will soften over the course of 2017. "This is most likely to result from the weakening of sterling pushing up import costs and dragging on purchasing power, both for consumers and as a determinant of business investment spending. ...

....A separate poll of employers published on Wednesday highlighted concerns about a fresh bout of economic turmoil when article 50 is triggered in 2017 to begin the process of leaving the EU. The survey of 201 employers by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) found that four out of 10 respondents felt that formally notifying the EU of the UK’s intention to withdraw would make delays in business investment and hiring decisions more likely. ...

....“While the post-referendum slump in the value of sterling is benefiting some exporters, a weak currency is something of a double-edged sword, as many UK exporters also import goods and raw materials, so will be facing higher input costs,” he said. The business group wants more help for firms to offset the pressures from the Brexit process, which has already shown signs of slowing business investment and knocking consumer confidence. ...

....Threadneedle Street has come under fire from pensioner groups and savers who argue that it has favoured borrowers over savers by keeping interest rates low. The committee said it wants to test how much savers have found themselves pumping even greater funds into their pensions and savings plans to make up for the lost interest, possibly depressing consumer spending and business investment as a result. ...

....Alpesh Paleja, the CBI’s principal economist, said: “It’s great to see the economy end the year on the up, with growth strengthening across the private sector. However, economic growth is likely to soften next year, as heightened uncertainty hits business investment and higher inflation weighs on household spending. ...

....Economists point to several indicators suggesting negative effects of the Brexit vote could be more keenly felt in 2017. Surveys and business investment figures suggest British-based firms are more reluctant to spend. ...

....The pound has fallen by about 15% against the dollar and 10% against the euro since the EU referendum. The BCC expects this to push up inflation, and hit consumer spending as wage growth is eroded by higher prices, as well as business investment. ...

.... In Keynesian jargon, there is still a large multiplier on fiscal policy. It is easy to forget the biggest missing piece of the global recovery is business investment, and if it starts kicking in finally, both output and productivity could begin to rise very sharply. ...