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 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.
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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.
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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.

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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
L
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