UK firms expect prices to rise 4% over next year, BoE survey shows in World Economy News 06/06/2026 UK businesses expect their prices to increase 4% over the next year, up from a current rate of 3.8%, according to the Bank of England’s Decision Maker Panel survey released today. The survey, conducted between May 8 and May 22, received 2,086 responses from chief financial officers across small, medium and large UK businesses. Firms reported their actual annual price growth was 3.8% in the three months to May, an increase of 0.1 percentage points from the three months to April. Year-ahead price inflation expectations stood at 4% for the three-month period ending in May, up 0.2 percentage points from April and 0.6 percentage points higher than February. Businesses expect consumer price inflation to reach 3.7% over the next year in the three months to May. Their expectations for inflation three years ahead remained unchanged at 2.8%. Annual wage growth was reported at 4.2% in the three months to May, down 0.1 percentage points from April. Firms expect wage growth of 3.4% over the next year, unchanged from the previous month. This suggests businesses anticipate wage growth will decline by 0.8 percentage points over the coming 12 months. Employment continued to contract, with firms reporting annual employment growth of -0.3% in the three months to May, compared to -0.4% in April. Expectations for employment growth over the next year weakened to -0.3%. The survey included questions about the impact of a recent energy shock on businesses. In May, 57% of firms expected to increase prices over the next 12 months, down 7 percentage points from April, while 5% expected to lower prices. About 68% of firms anticipated lower profit margins, unchanged from April. The Decision Maker Panel was established in August 2016 and is run by the Bank of England with King’s College London and the University of Nottingham. Source: Investing.com 2026-06-06 hellenicshippingnews... tweet Share