1+ hour, 37+ min ago   (279+ words) Despite the decline, more than half (51%) of Scottish firms reported continued confidence in their own trading outlook, reflecting some resilience in business operations, though broader economic optimism has weakened to 34%, suggesting caution about the external environment and economic trajectory. A…...

3+ week, 6+ day ago   (395+ words) Flotation Energy has appointed Masakazu Kimura as Chief Operating Officer, succeeding Toru Fujishiro, who has returned to Japan to become Head of Wind Power Department at TEPCO Renewable Power. Toru will continue to support Flotation Energy as a Non-Executive Director,…...

4+ week, 1+ day ago   (314+ words) UK manufacturing activity lost momentum in June, although output was supported by businesses bringing forward orders ahead of expected price rises and supply chain disruption linked to tensions in the Middle East. The latest S&P Global UK Manufacturing Purchasing…...

1+ mon, 1+ day ago   (497+ words) Despite this dip, Scottish firms reported strong customer demand (79%) as the key driver of optimism in the wider economy. A net balance of 38% of businesses in the country also expect to increase staff levels over the next year, up seven…...

1+ mon, 1+ week ago   (258+ words) Brexit has reduced the size of the UK economy by around 6%, according to new research based on internal Bank of England data. The study found that roughly half of the economic impact came from uncertainty following the vote, with the…...

1+ mon, 2+ week ago   (644+ words) Business activity fell across Scotland’s private sector midway through the second quarter, the latest Royal Bank of Scotland Growth Tracker showed. The headline Royal Bank of Scotland Business Activity Index – a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in…...

2+ mon, 1+ week ago   (588+ words) Britain’s unemployment rate has unexpectedly risen as vacancies slumped to their lowest level for five years amid a sharp pull back in hiring across the under-pressure retail and hospitality sectors, according to new official figures. The Office for National Statistics…...

2+ mon, 3+ week ago   (124+ words) Recent editions of the Chamber’s Quarterly Economic Survey have shown that labour costs are a major, and increasing, issue for many businesses in the North-east of Scotland. Labour costs have also been raised as key talking point at several recent…...

3+ mon, 6+ day ago   (299+ words) The Bank of England has warned of expected stock market drops as it says share prices do not currently reflect the fragility of the global economy. Speaking to the BBC, the Bank of England's Deputy Governor Sarah Breeden said share…...

3+ mon, 1+ week ago   (847+ words) For many people, 60 still feels like the ‘normal’ retirement age. It’s the age many of us grew up expecting to stop work. But when we sit down with clients and run the numbers properly, the answer is rarely that straightforward....