UK manufacturing activity has been sluggish in recent months
by Szu Ping Chan
Telegraph.co.uk
UK factory activity stabilised in April, though a gloomy economic backdrop continued to weigh on exporters, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).
Britain’s biggest business group said manufacturers’ order books improved in April compared with March.
The CBI said 15pc of the 472 companies it surveyed said total order books were “above normal” in April, compared with 26pc that said they were below average.
The resulting balance of -11pc was above March’s reading of -14. It was also higher than economists’ estimates and the long-run average of -15.