FX.co ★ UK Business Optimism Continues to Fall

Sentiment within the UK's manufacturing sector declined to -33 in April 2025, according to the index compiled by the Confederation of British Industry. This marks a continued negative trend from the previous quarter's -47, indicating the fourth consecutive quarter of pessimism. Manufacturing output also saw further decline, coming in at -2 compared to January's -18. Surveyed firms anticipate a continued decrease in production levels by mid-year, projecting a figure of -5. Consistently, new orders remained firmly within negative territory at -13, compared to -20 previously, owing to weakened demand both domestically (-11 vs. -23) and internationally (-4 vs. -33). This downturn has led businesses to continue reducing their workforce, with job losses at -16 compared to -8. On the pricing front, input costs have increased, showing a rise from 48 to 43, and are expected to continue rising, reaching 53 by July.