Lloyds Business Barometer

Wage pressures and hiring intentions at UK businesses continue to rise, according to the latest monthly Lloyds Bank Business Barometer.

UK business confidence hit a three-year high while economic confidence hit a five-year high, according to the latest edition of the Lloyds Bank Business Barometer.

Pound Sterling trades with a soft tone ahead of the weekend and the Christmas break amidst ongoing uncertainty as to how the Brexit impasse in the UK parliament will play out. Today trader focus will be on GDP, current account and public finance data releases.

UK sentiment readings released at the head of the new month continue point to a resilient UK economy that is likely to pick up some steam heading into the second quarter as caution linked to Brexit uncertainty start to recede.

Brexit remains the elephant in the room for U.K. companies in 2018 but, with inflation now set to abate, economists see scope for a pickup in growth.

Business confidence surges to a seventeen-month high in April, led by rises in both business prospects and economic optimism according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank.