70,000 Small Businesses Could Pay No Business Rates. What’s the Catch?
70,000 UK small businesses just stopped paying business rates. Meanwhile, America's central bank refused to cut interest rates, and Microsoft is spending $500 million a day on AI while paying staff to leave. This is the week in business: the five stories you need to know if you run a business, whether you're in London, Leeds, Los Angeles or anywhere in between. Plain English, no jargon, and you won't need an economics degree to understand why they matter. This week: 1. UK Budget 2026 – what...
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RSS Feed 70,000 UK small businesses just stopped paying business rates. Meanwhile, America's central bank refused to cut interest rates, and Microsoft is spending $500 million a day on AI while paying staff to leave.
This is the week in business: the five stories you need to know if you run a business, whether you're in London, Leeds, Los Angeles or anywhere in between. Plain English, no jargon, and you won't need an economics degree to understand why they matter.
This week:
1. UK Budget 2026 – what John Healey's first Budget means for small businesses, from business rates to the minimum wage
2. AI job cuts – Meta and Microsoft cut thousands of jobs while spending record amounts on AI
3. Oil hits $115 a barrel – why it's coming for your costs, even if you never buy oil
4. The Fed holds rates – why cheaper borrowing isn't coming any time soon
5. Trump's Canada tariff shuffle – tariffs off plywood, on canoes and coffins, days before the midterms
And finally… dog news: Americans spend $1 billion dressing up their pets for Halloween.
After every story, I break down what it means for you and what to do next.
Which one is hitting your business hardest right now: energy costs, borrowing costs or tariffs? Tell me in the comments.
CHAPTERS
00:00 This week in business
00:36 UK Budget 2026 explained for small businesses
03:02 Meta & Microsoft AI job cuts
05:02 Oil price hits $115: what it means for your costs
06:06 Fed holds interest rates
07:37 Trump's Canada tariff changes before the midterms
09:37 Dog news: $1bn on pet Halloween costumes
10:28 Weekly recap & what you can control
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