The Bank of England has published the eighth edition of its ‘Finance for Small Firms’ report. The executive summary presents the following findings:
Business Environment
The wider macroeconomic environment for smaller businesses remained fairly strong during 2000, although regional and sectoral variants were evident. The weakness of the euro throughout much of the year was regarded as a deterrent to growth in the manufacturing sector, although there are expectations that the euro will strengthen during 2001. The burden of regulation was cited in many ways as a major constraint on the success of small firms.
