LONDON (Reuters) – British industrial orders weakened a little bit in November and manufacturers were gloomy in regards to the outlook for the approaching months, a survey showed on Thursday.
The Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) monthly order books balance fell to -5 from -4 in October, even though it was still above the long-run average of -13.
The survey’s gauge of output struck a five-month high, driven by supply chain improvements, but on balance factories surveyed expected output to weaken in the approaching three months.
Anna Leach, CBI deputy chief economist, said manufacturers welcomed some elements of finance minister Jeremy Hunt’s budget statement last week.
“But little was said about two of probably the most pressing issues which can be currently holding the sector back: the long run of the business energy support scheme and access to skills,” she said.
“This leaves big query marks hanging over the competitiveness of UK manufacturing.”
(Reporting by Andy Bruce; editing by David Milliken)
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