Thanks to budget cuts in Europe and the misuse of government grants in the US, rural broadband connectivity targets are unlikely to be met.
Read the full report on EIU.com

The performance of the industry over the five years through 2017-18 will be driven by price increases allowed by industry regulators (Ofgem and NIAUR), as well as by trends in the demand for gas. While demand is expected to contract as rising fuel prices continue to bite, industry regulators recognise that increases in gas distribution charges are needed to fund necessary investment, including the ongoing replacement of gas mains. As a result, industry revenue is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of approximately 3.6% over the next five years, reaching £4.66 billion in 2017-18. Read the full report on IBIS.

UK fruit producers have performed well in a tough trading market over the past five years and this is expected to continue over the five years through 2017-18. Industry profit is expected to increase at a slow rate to about 13.7% of industry revenue in 2017-18, up from an estimated 13.1% in 2012-13. This growth is expected to be the result of stable wage levels, stronger prices and increased industry productivity. Read the full report on IBIS.

After a series of particularly difficult years following the recession, Key Note is forecasting a brighter future for the market for accountancy and related services. Between 2013 and 2017, fee income for accountancy and related services in the UK is predicted to increase by 19.4%, from £24.41bn to £29.14bn.

Much of the market growth is likely to be driven by the increase in both volume and value of consultancy services — fee income for which is expected to increase by 27.4% over the forecast period — which makes up for slow growth in the audit and accounting sector owing to the maturity of the market. Read the full report on Keynote.