In this episode of Trading Up Unpacked, Jim Fitzpatrick and Richard Ramsey dissect the intensifying profit squeeze gripping Northern Ireland businesses. Despite flat sales of £35 billion, pre-tax profits for NI's top 100 companies have plummeted by 17.5%.
Meanwhile, local PMI figures reveal new orders falling at their fastest rate in three and a half years, with sectors like retail and hospitality hit hard by rising costs.
The hosts examine domestic pressures, from National Insurance hikes to Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s bold gamble on social care. Burnham is navigating tight manifesto restrictions by leaning towards a 10% \"death tax\" or a 1.8% income care levy.
Globally, they analyse how Middle East conflicts have drained US strategic oil reserves to 1980s levels and evaluate Donald Trump’s record-low approval on inflation and his disruptive new tariffs. They also debate how regional supply chains face delays amid geopolitical tensions and local civil unrest.
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