SEVEN quarters of decline have come to an end as overseas trading starts to benefit from the relative weakness of the pound.
SEVEN quarters of decline have come to an end as overseas trading starts to benefit from the relative weakness of the pound.
According to the CBI's latest SME Trends Survey 27 per cent of the 418 firms questioned said the volume of exports rose in
the three months to January, while 25 per cent said it fell.
The resulting balance of +2 per cent is the strongest figure since January 2008 when it was +12 per cent.
Export orders are expected to grow more strongly in the next quarter,
resulting in a balance of +8 per cent, and firms are the most optimistic
about export prospects for the year ahead since October 1995, when the balance was +15 per cent.
Although domestic orders continued to decline it was at the slowest rate
since April 2008 (-10 per cent).
Almost a quarter (23 per cent) of firms reported a rise in orders during the past three months, and 33 per cent a fall, giving a balance
of -10 per cent.
Firms expect domestic orders to fall again in the next quarter to give a balance of -7 per cent.
The volume of total new orders fell in the past three months to -5 per cent, however it fell at a slower rate than the previous quarter, which was -17 per cent.
