British business confidence hits highs not seen since April 2017 on hopes the economy is recovering strongly to pre-pandemic levels, it’s reported.
The Lloyds Bank Business Barometer surveys 1,200 firms each month. It’s found that overall business confidence among UK firms rose to 36 per cent in August, driven by improvements in companies’ trading prospects and expectations of stronger growth in the year ahead.
Increases in confidence were recorded in regions including the South West.
The latest findings echo our own evaluations. Our report in August highlighted that while the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic has been more widespread across Devon than previous recessions, there are now positive signs of recovery.