The slump affecting the German manufacturing sector has continued this year with new figures from Destatis revealing a 6.7% year-on-year sales drop compared to August 2018, marking nearly two years of continuous decline. Factory orders dropped 0.6% compared to July, twice the shrinkage predicted by economists, albeit an improved performance on the previous month’s 2.1%
A drop in business investments since the EU referendum three years ago has cost the UK economy £20bn, according to new research. Findings published in the National Bureau of Economic Research has found that Brexit has resulted in a 11% drop in investment whilst also claiming that productivity has taken a 5% hit as a
Increased demand for tankers to ferry oil to Asia from the Gulf Coast has seen shipping prices skyrocket. Less than a month following the drone attack on Saudi facilities at Abqaiq and Khurais which halved oil output from the region, prices had begun to settle somewhat. However, increased shipping costs are keeping prices high. The
The government has launched a new online tool to help identify barriers for UK exporting businesses. The aim of the platform is to help the government’s own trade experts spot potential legal, regulatory, labelling, licensing or any other unnecessary barriers to trade which can then be worked on with countries around the world. Once a
Brexit is once again supposedly just weeks away. Whether it’s the new Prime Minister’s insistence that the UK will depart the European Union with or without the deal on 31st October, or the fact that Brexit Day now somewhat fittingly falls on Halloween, it could be that the months of uncertainty for businesses will be
The number of permanent staff hired by UK companies has dropped at the quickest rate in more than three years. Research by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, alongside a report from KPMG, has uncovered that the number of full-time recruits fell for six consecutive months to August, suggesting that ‘many firms [are] delaying hiring decisions
The Department of Agriculture has suggested it expects the pattern of trade to change following Brexit and warned that ‘not all exports can comply with new post-Brexit rules’. Businesses exporting agri-food products into the EU which are not member states will require an Export Health Certificate – an official document which carries an authorised signature
The CBI has launched a report with some 200 recommendations and actions for businesses and governments to take as the likelihood of no-deal Brexit increases. The report, titled ‘What comes next?’, unveils a detailed analysis of advice for its members and the wider business community, covering everything from the movement and regulations of goods to
UK businesses are stepping up Brexit preparations and looking to prove their exporting credentials as the number of AEO applications surge. Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status shows that a businesses role within international supply chains as being secure – compliant and up-to-speed with customs controls and procedures. UK firms have lagged far behind in AEO
The pace of the government’s legislative preparations for Brexit has surged in the first half of this year with four times as many Brexit-related bills passed compared to H2 2018. Thomson Reuters reported that 488 legislative pieces were passed from January to June, compared to 112 in the latter stages of last year. The first