The UK manufacturing sector remained solid at the end of the first quarter of 2017, with the Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index. recording 54.2 in March (54.5 in February) having remained above the neutral mark of 50.0 for the eighth successive month. The latest PMI reading compared favourably to its long-run trend (51.6) although sector data…
The UK manufacturing sector made a strong start to 2017 with output rising at the fastest rate since May 2014. New order intakes expanded at a robust pace and, according to the Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), price pressures intensified – input cost inflation surged to a survey record high and output charges also increased…
UK manufacturers expect 2017 to be another year of risks but at the same time are gearing up for the challenges ahead. According to the annual Executive Survey from EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, almost half of companies surveyed see more risks than opportunities in the year ahead. However, in 2017 56% of firms expect to…
The UK manufacturing sector ended 2016 on a positive note with rates of growth for production and new orders in December among the best seen over the past two-and-a-half years. The Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to a 30-month high of 56.1, up from 53.6 in November and well above its long-run average (51.5). …
Private sector growth picked up pace in the three months to December, according to the CBI’s latest Growth Indicator, the final one of 2016. The survey of 788 respondents across the manufacturing, distribution and service sectors showed that growth climbed to a balance of +17%, its highest in a year. Most sectors reported an uptick…
Conditions in the UK manufacturing sector continued to improve at the end of the third quarter, according to the Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI). The domestic market remained a prime driver of new business wins, while the weaker sterling exchange rate drove up new orders from abroad. At 55.4 in September, up from 53.4 in…
August saw solid rebounds in UK manufacturing output and incoming new orders, according to the Markit/ CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI). Companies reported “solid inflows” of new work from both domestic and export customers, the latter aided by the sterling exchange rate. As a result, the PMI recovered sharply from the 41-month low of 48.3…
April saw the seasonally adjusted Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fall below the critical no-change mark of 50.0 for the first time since March 2013. At 49.2, from a downwardly revised reading of 50.7 in March, Markit suggests that the headline index was dragged lower by lacklustre trends in production and new orders and declines…
The first quarterly EEF Manufacturing Outlook survey this year shows signs that the sector’s slide into negative territory may be coming to an end, with improvements reported in output and orders. Output has edged up after hitting its weakest point in six years in the final quarter of 2015. It is still in negative territory…