Tag Archives: austerity measures

2010 the year of living dangerously – 2011 a year of opportunity

As we reach the end of 2010 there are many businesses still under pressure to maintain sales, margins, profitability, service their debt and create / maintain positive cash flow.  Some businesses have managed to recover their cash position but are indecisive about investing for the future. Whether driven by perceived risk, fear of failure or apathy decision makers in SME’s and some larger organisations are not addressing issues, some critical, in re-evaluating their operational or strategic focus. This is the first time in over a year when all the factors likely to impact businesses in the future, more so in the private sector, are “known”. The austerity measures are in place, taxation rates understood, interest rates stable, lenders willing to support good business cases and even retirement and pension related issues have more clarity.

2011 should be a year of increasing confidence and utilising an independent business resource is one way of stimulating a business to review, plan and invest for an economic upturn and to maximise potential opportunities. MW Interim Finance provides independent professional finance support to assist is implementing achieve your strategic and operational objectives.  Visit www.mwinterimfinance.co.uk for further details.

A Summer of Dis – Con – Tent

What news over the Summer for the UK;- Bank of England interest rates – no change, economic growth forecasts – no change and the football World Cup – a DISaster.

The coalition government has been away on holiday so no progress on getting the country back on track, and Labour meanwhile is trying to elect a new leader. Will the austerity measures actually bring about real cuts in the UK deficit or is it just a Lib / CON?

The Autumn has arrived and with it the reality of a long drawn out recovery, but not in house prices from latest comments. Travel disruption in the UK, public sector cut backs and general strikes in Europe could stifle any chance of a TENTative improvement in Euro growth estimates.

FIFA World Cup and UK Budget

It could not be helped with the 50 day post election rule however the new UK coalition government has cleverly decided that the Budget will be on 22nd June. No doubt hoping the country will all be immersed in the FIFA World Cup tournament, they can implement as many swingeing expenditure cuts and tax rises as possible. They may go almost unnoticed as, given our penchant for scraping through the group phases in major competition’s, we sweat about England’s final group game on 23rd June. What happens if England do not get through to the next stage and we all wake up to the reality of the serious austerity measures that have been mooted…………..”come on England”