Data via the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) quarterly economic survey
- UK manufacturers report fastest growth in export sales and orders since Q2 2014
- Manufacturers report weakest domestic sales growth since Q4 2016
- UK services businesses report stable domestic sales growth, small increase in export sales
More:
- Fewer firms expect to raise prices than in late 2017
- Rising pay demands from workers were a problem for under a quarter of businesses
BCC economist Suren Thiru
- "Inflation is now on a downward trajectory"
- "While we expect interest rates to rise next month, with UK economic conditions subdued and inflation weakening, the case for a further tightening in monetary policy continues to look limited at best."
BCC's director-general, Adam Marshall
- "What growth we see in the UK economy is due principally to strong global trading conditions, rather than domestic demand, which remains muted"
- "Even with a standout performance from manufacturing exporters able to reap the benefits of lower sterling, the UK economy as a whole is treading water, rather than powering ahead"
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BCC survey
- more than 7,000 businesses
- conducted Feb. 19 to March 12
