Saturday 31 October
Good morning
Quiet overnight: nothing moved and nothing needs you today. We'll keep watching.
Interest rates
3.8%
MODERATE
Prices
3.1%
HIGH
Growth
0.2%
FLAT
The read · Bakeries · 3 Oct
A steady morning for bakeries: borrowing costs do not move, and the cost of flour and energy is still the thing to watch.
- The Bank of England held Bank Rate at 3.75% on 17 September, so the cost of borrowing does not move this quarter.Observed
- Input costs are up 3.6% on a year ago and pay 4.6%, so a bakery's two biggest costs are both rising faster than shop sales, at 1.5%.Our reading
What changed
What happened, and what it meansAll SME intelligence- Interest rates
Bank of England · 17 Sept 2026
At its meeting ending on 16 September 2026 the Monetary Policy Committee voted 6 to 3 to hold Bank Rate at 3.75%; three members preferred a rise to 4%.
Borrowing costs stay where they are. The Committee judges the risks to inflation to be on the upside, so a cut is not the next move it is weighing.
- Input costs
Input costs up 3.6% on a year ago
Synergy demo · 17 Sept 2026
Prices paid by manufacturers rose again in the month, led by energy and imported materials.
Any business that buys materials is paying more than a year ago. Pay is rising faster still, at 4.6%.
- Shop sales
Shop sales 1.5% up on a year ago
Synergy demo · 19 Sept 2026
Retail sales volumes edged up in the month after two flat months.
Demand is holding, not growing. Prices are doing more of the work than volume.
What moved
Since you last lookedDashboardNothing material changed this week. Your figures and your street are as they were.
Today
Due on the planGrowth planNothing is due on the plan today.
Coming up
What to get ready forMonthly review. On the first of the month at 06:00 UTC: the climate collected, your trade re-read, and your figures read again where they have moved.