The Business Matrix: Monday 18 March 2013

Late payers to face interest charges

Businesses are to come under pressure to pay all invoices within 60 days after a European directive came into force over the weekend. The late payment directive goes even further for public sector organisations, which have to pay suppliers' invoices within 30 days. Late payers will face interest charges of more than 7 per cent on the Bank of England base rate.

Average asking price highest ever

Home sellers are growing in confidence, judging by a survey by Rightmove of more than 100,000 asking prices across the country.

The average asking price in the last month has risen 1.7 per cent to £239,710, the highest ever recorded in the survey for the month of March. The previous March peak was in 2008, before the financial crisis.