What’s different about today? It no ordinary Thursday – it’s Super Thursday! Which means that the Bank of England is making a decision on interest rates, releasing minutes from its most recent policy-setting meeting and publishing its Quarterly Inflation Report. Follow it live on the Guardian’s live business blog. And don’t forget about these other important business-driven stories from the past week.

You may find yourself being quizzed on your knowledge of economic affairs in vac scheme interviews, so it pays to be prepared. Here’s a selection from the past week to get you started.

This week’s selection of headline-grabbing business news runs the spectrum from large-scale infrastructure projects to tumbling profits at household brand names and on to pension rule changes. For more detail, read on.

More fallout from the leaked Panama Papers this week, as businesses and individuals scramble to distance themselves from the scandal (Bill Gates has said he’s more surprised by who’s NOT on the list). 

With just one week to go until the general election, the majority of headlines are understandably focused on all things political.

Note: it is just over a week until the main training contract application deadline - 31 July - so it is certainly reasonable to be focusing on that right now. 

Weekly round-ups are clearly the thing, as illustrated by both this very news story and the weekly Brexit briefing from the Guardian – a great way to keep up with all the EU-related machinations. 

Take a look at this compact selection of high-profile business stories from the last week – with compelling themes of takeovers and anti-competitive behaviour, they will undoubtedly have you hooked.

Back in 2013, the naturalist David Attenborough called for action on climate change, arguing that “we have a finite environment – the planet. Anyone who thinks that you can have infinite growth in a finite environment is either a madman or an economist.” Fast forward to 2018 United Nations’ panel on climate change has said that the world has only 12 years left to prevent ecological catastrophe.

In a week that has been dominated by a wealth of Magna Carta stories, there have also been business and legal stories that you need to know about.

It seems like the UK has taken a U-turn as the government announced new restrictions earlier this week in a bid to tackle the pandemic. As the world continues to grapple with the virus, keeping up to date with its impact on the business and legal worlds is increasingly important. You can read summaries of some of this week’s top stories here.

The deadlines for training contract applications are getting ever closer, making it increasingly important for you to stay up to date with the latest news from the business and legal worlds. We have selected some of the biggest news stories from the past week and summarised them below – your next step is to delve into the details of a story that interests you and analyse its implications. Remember, to succeed in a training contract interview – among other things – you must show that you can ‘think business’.

Brexit has been causing all sorts of bother this week, with several high-profile companies’ announcements revealing just how worried they are about the future of business in the UK. No-one knows exactly what might happen after Britain leaves the EU, but it’s certainly a good idea to keep your finger on the pulse of how the business world is reacting, and what concerns firms might have about how Brexit will affect their business. 

Did you listen to Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s budget speech earlier this week? What key takeaways did you identify? 

Commercial awareness is a key skill that all law firms look for in their applicants. Understanding what commercial awareness is and how you can demonstrate yours is fundamental to your success.

Thursday’s here again and it’s time to devote a bit of effort to learning what the big business stories of the past week were; read on for a selection.

The high-level chit-chat taking place between politicians and business leaders in Davos this week at the annual World Economic Forum is expected to cover eight key themes, with delegates looking at robots, gender equality and terrorism.

All solicitors’ firms and barristers’ chambers desire a specific set of skills from their trainees and pupils. This guide explains how to self-assess your skillset, demonstrate these key skills on application forms and focus on areas you need to improve.

All solicitors’ firms and barristers’ chambers desire a specific set of skills  from their trainees and pupils. This guide explains how to self-assess your skillset, demonstrate these key skills on application forms and focus on areas you need to improve.

With just four weeks to go, the levels of furious electioneering continue to rocket upwards. While the big political story today may be Labour’s leaked manifesto, it is the prospect of Brexit and all that means in terms of business and consumer confidence that most concerns UK businesses. Read on for this past week’s related stories and more.