Business Confidence stories
Geopolitical shocks are exposing a growing confidence gap, with only one in five supply chain leaders able to respond within 24 hours.
Entrepreneurs increasingly see AI as a tool for efficiency and cost-cutting, not a springboard to new markets or sustainability goals.
Late payments are pushing more Australian small firms into debt, draining weeks on chasing invoices and fuelling rising financial stress.
Cash flow is tightening for Canadian small businesses as March sales improved only slightly, while payment times lengthened and late bills rose.
Fuel costs have pushed headline prices higher again, leaving the Reserve Bank of Australia under pressure to raise interest rates despite softer underlying inflation.
AI users are already outperforming peers, with New Zealand SMEs earning about NZD $400,000 more and large firms NZD $59.1 million more in FY25.
Poor digital confidence is leaving 42% of Kiwi small businesses dreading tax time, as mixed systems and security gaps expose errors.
Nearly all Scottish tech firms now use AI, with full adoption doubling to 18% as sales and cashflow improve despite softer confidence.
Energy uncertainty is delaying spending, with 39 per cent of firms postponing expansion plans as costs and supply stay volatile.
Concern has surged among UK logistics firms as Middle East conflict raises the risk of supply chain delays and higher shipping costs.
Households and firms are facing renewed cost-of-living pressure, with petrol prices driving sentiment to levels last seen during the GFC and pandemic.
Almost half of surveyed employers are weighing shorter hours or fewer staff as higher fuel bills squeeze margins and weaken demand across NSW.
Rising costs and policy uncertainty are squeezing small firms, with 63% of owners reporting lower revenue and confidence subdued across the sector.
Intuit UK secures the government's Fair Payment Code Gold, highlighting rapid supplier payments as ministers crack down on late payers.
UK SMEs lifted revenues and profits in 2025 but cut capital spending for a 17th straight quarter, Sage data shows, signalling wary growth.
Irish bosses are warier of AI risks than peers in the UK, Germany and France, with cybersecurity and job fears driving cautious adoption.
'Imbosster Syndrome' is eroding the confidence of Australian sole traders, with self-doubt stalling key decisions and slowing business growth.
Construction and manufacturing fuel a second straight quarter of growth for Australian SMEs, narrowing the gap with the wider economy.
US small firms saw sales growth sink to a two-year low in late 2025, even as invoice payments sped up and cash flow pressures eased.
Canadian firms are harnessing AI and efficiency to turn tariff shocks and labour shortages into a new edge: resilience-driven growth.