News in Review Wednesday 15th July 2026

Business confidence takes a dip, improved outlook for UK says IMF, Nato Summit update, mortgage costs set to rise.

Key takeaways:

  • The IoD Directors’ Economic Confidence Index, which measures economic sentiment, fell from    -53 in May to -61 in June
  • The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has improved its growth forecast for the UK: to expand by 1.0% in 2026
  • Defence dominated as a key topic last week’s Nato Summit amid ongoing uncertainty over the war in Iran