Businesses are confident their profits will improve over the coming year despite growing pessimism about the wider UK economy, a survey published today shows.
An index of business confidence produced by Lloyds Bank rose by two points to 54 % in August, the fourth consecutive month of improvement. The rise in optimism was driven by firms anticipating higher revenue and profits in the coming months. Lloyds trading prospects index jumped by 5 points to 63%, an 11 year high.