UK Manufacturers Expect Output To Rise In February: CBI

(RTTNews) - UK manufacturers expect production to increase in the three months to May, the Industrial Trends Survey from the Confederation of British Industry showed on Thursday.

A balance of 8 percent of manufacturers expect production to increase in the three months to May, in contrast to 19 percent forecasting a decline during three months to April.

A net 12 percent of respondents said output decreased in the three months to February compared to -13 percent in the quarter to January.

Total order books were below normal in January. The order book balance posted -28 percent in January, up from -34 percent in December. The balance was forecast to rise to -30 percent.

Export order books were also seen as below "normal" in February. The corresponding balance was -36 percent compared to -38 percent last month.

The survey showed that selling price inflation expectations among manufacturers for the coming quarter softened relative to last month. The index fell to +19 percent from +27 percent in January.

"The survey paints a downbeat picture of the manufacturing sector over the last three months, which can be attributed in part to low domestic business confidence following the Autumn Budget combined with a subdued international environment," CBI Lead Economist Ben Jones said.