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Business optimism in markets such as China, the UK and the US has risen markedly over recent months according to the Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR)[1]. And the most interesting aspect for me is the contribution of the real estate and construction sector to the brightening economic outlook.

The outlook for the cleantech sector looks to be improving. While the Climate Policy Initiative reported that global climate finance flows had plateaued at US$359bn in 2012, business growth indicators from our Q3 International Business Report (IBR) are positive, particularly as regards investment and R&D, although a shortage of talent remains a challenge

Business leaders in the hospitality & tourism sector are continuing to do ‘more with less’ according to the Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR) Q3 results. Expectations for business growth remain robust, but job creation is fairly stagnant, reflecting a broader drive for efficiencies within the sector.

I was interviewed last week by CNBC and BBC World News[1] to discuss our Q3 International Business Report (IBR) results. The big surprise was that business optimism in the UK more than doubled over the past quarter.

There was some great news for Chile in the latest edition of the Grant Thornton Global Dynamism Index (GDI): we ranked second out of 60 economies, behind only Australia.

John Geldart has spent a lot of time in China over recent years. It is an amazing country which fascinates and surprises him every time he returns, but perhaps no more so than over the past few months when he has been lucky enough to interview the chairmen of some of its most dynamic companies.

Fraud is endemic in the construction industry. So much so that in many parts of the world it is seen merely as a ‘cost of doing business’. But this does not have to be the case. In a report released this week, ‘Time for a new direction – Fighting fraud in Construction’, we recommend a number of concrete steps companies can take to avoid becoming victims of fraud.

According to our Global Dynamism Index (GDI) 2013, Australia is the economy businesses should be looking at. It climbed to the top of the ranking of 60 of the largest economies in the world this year, up from seventh place in 2012.

Last month I chaired a panel of leading figures from the Private Equity (PE) sector to launch our 2013/14 Global Private Equity report: ‘A time of challenge & opportunity’.

Is there light at the end of the tunnel for the food and beverage sector? Certainly our new report on the health of the sector – ‘Hunger for growth: Food and Beverage looks to the future‘ – suggests so.

Last week, we released the results of the Grant Thornton Global Dynamism Index (GDI) 2013. This is the second year we have released these results. We are seeing the beginning of trends in the data but there was also some interesting movement up and down the rankings.

Stefano Salvadeo was interviewed on Focus Economia di Radio 24 recently to discuss some positive indicators regarding M&A activity in Italy.

Thinking outside the Big Blue box. Scott Barnes responds to UK Competition Commission proposals.

A lot has been written about auditor rotation over recent months, but in August, India became the latest major economy to actually enforce mandatory rotation. This is big news. And not just for us accountants.

Businesses in the hospitality & tourism industry are the most bullish globally on the outlook for both revenues and profits. That’s according to the Q2 International Business Report (IBR[1]) results, providing further evidence of strong performance in the industry.

Reviewing the Q2 International Business Report (IBR[1]) results, I was pleased to see some good news for construction & real estate companies: Profitability expectations around the world are up. However, my optimism is tempered somewhat by recent news from China and it will be interesting to see how businesses react in Q3.