Daily Briefing

The market data your business needs today.

12 economic and business data areas — updated daily — with plain-English SME interpretation. Know what's moving, what it means for your business, and what to watch.

Today's business headlines & market signals
Headlines: CityAM  ·  Updated on page load
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AI SME Summary — Loading live data... · Updated 09:00
Sterling strengthened slightly against the dollar overnight (+0.3%) providing modest relief on import costs. The Bank of England base rate holds at 4.75% — next MPC decision 8 May. PPI input inflation rose 0.4% month-on-month — expect supplier price increase requests in the next 60 days. Asia–UK freight rates fell 2.1% this week, the third consecutive weekly decline. Corporation Tax unchanged at 25% for profits over £250k. Employer NI rises to 15% from April 2026 — review payroll costs now.
Today’s briefing

What the numbers mean for your business today

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📰 Top business headlines  ·  CityAM & FSB via CityAM
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📊 Today’s market snapshot for UK SMEs

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1 — Interest Rates · Free
BoE Base Rate4.75% →
Next MPC Decision8 May 2026
Business Loan Rate (avg)7.8%
Market ExpectationHold / cut
Borrowing costs remain elevated. Factor 4.75%+ into any financing plans. A May cut would provide modest relief on variable-rate debt.
2 — Inflation (CPI/PPI) · Free
CPI Headline2.8% ↓
PPI Input Inflation+0.4% MoM ↑
Core CPI (ex food/energy)3.1%
PPI rising means supplier costs will increase in 60–90 days. Review supplier contracts now and check if your pricing has room to absorb this.
3 — Exchange Rates · Free
GBP/USD1.2847 ↑
GBP/EUR1.1623 →
GBP/CNY9.3105 ↑
GBP/INR106.42 ↑
Sterling slightly stronger vs USD — modest improvement on import costs from China and the US. Update your Import Cost Calculator FX rates before placing orders.
4 — Energy Prices · Free
Brent Crude ($/barrel)$78.42 ↓
UK Gas (p/therm)82.3p →
Electricity Wholesale£94/MWh
Oil prices easing. If your business is transport or energy-intensive, you may see some modest cost relief in the next quarter.
5 — Employment & Wages
UK Unemployment Rate4.4% →
Average Wage Growth5.9% YoY ↓
Employment Rate74.8%
Wage growth remains above inflation — staff cost pressures continue. Factor 5–6% pay increases into 2026 budgets.
6 — Consumer Confidence
GfK Index-19 ↑
Major Purchase Intent-26
vs Last Month+3 pts
Consumer confidence improving but still negative. Discretionary spending remains cautious — value messaging matters more than ever.
7 — Business Confidence (PMI)
PMI Manufacturing47.5 ↓
PMI Services53.2 ↑
PMI Composite51.8
Manufacturing contracting, services expanding. Product businesses face tougher conditions than service businesses right now.
8 — Supply Chain & Freight
Asia–UK Freight (40ft)$3,240 ↓
Week-on-Week Change-2.1%
Lead Times (avg)28 days
Freight rates falling for third consecutive week — good news for importers. Update your landed cost models if you haven't recently.
9 — Commodities
Steel (HRC, $/tonne)$478 →
Timber (£/m³)£285 ↓
Plastics (PE, $/tonne)$1,120 ↑
Plastics rising — relevant for packaging and consumer goods. Steel and timber relatively stable. Review material cost assumptions in your pricing.
10 — Business News
Top StoryNLW rises to £12.21 Apr 2026
SME FinanceBoE holds — no cut yet
TradeUK–US tariff talks ongoing
National Living Wage rise to £12.21/hr from April 2026 — review your payroll costs now if you have hourly-paid staff.
11 — Tax & Compliance Hub
Corporation Tax25% (£250k+)
Employer NI Rate15% from Apr 26 ↑
VAT Registration Threshold£90,000
National Living Wage£12.21/hr Apr 26
Employer NI rising to 15% from April — if you haven't reviewed payroll cost impact, do it now. NLW also rising — check hourly-paid staff costs.
12 — UK Economy Snapshot
GDP Growth (latest)0.1% QoQ →
Retail Sales (MoM)+0.3% ↑
Business Insolvencies2,180/month ↑
Economy barely growing. Insolvencies rising — check your key customers' financial health. Retail sales slightly up — cautious optimism for Q2.
Your Business · Personalised

Your Personalised Business Insights

Tailored insights based on your business type and the signals that matter to you. The daily briefing above tells you what's happening. This tells you what it means for your business.

Today's backdrop live
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The macro picture in brief: cost pressures from wages and energy are easing marginally, but consumer spending remains cautious. SMEs with disciplined cashflow, clear pricing, and tight inventory are best positioned right now. The numbers below set the backdrop — then pick your sector to make it specific to your business.
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GBP / CNY
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UK · 7-day outlook
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All 12 Data Areas

The economic data that affects your business.

Every area includes: current data point, direction indicator (↑↓→), plain-English SME interpretation, and source. Areas 1–4 free. Areas 5–12 unlocked by email.

01 · Free
Interest Rates
BoE base rate, loan rates, MPC
02 · Free
Inflation
CPI headline & PPI input costs
03 · Free
Exchange Rates
GBP/USD, EUR, CNY, INR
04 · Free
Energy Prices
Oil, gas, electricity wholesale
05
Employment & Wages
Unemployment & wage growth
06
Consumer Confidence
GfK index & retail sales
07
Business Confidence
PMI manufacturing & services
08
Supply Chain
Freight rates & lead times
09
Commodities
Steel, timber, plastics
10
Business News
Top 5 SME headlines daily
11
Tax & Compliance Hub
Corp Tax, NI, VAT, NLW, MTD
12
UK Economy Snapshot
GDP, retail sales, insolvencies