Optimism among small UK businesses slumps to eight-year low

• After a year dogged by Brexit deadlock, political uncertainty and slow growth, optimism among small UK firms has slumped to an eight-year low.
• The Federation of Small Businesses’s confidence gauge fell in October-December for the sixth quarter in a row. Managers at firms across the UK reported worries about the domestic economy and pessimism about opportunities overseas.
• Nearly half of the 1,029 firms interviewed, including 66% of retailers, predicted that their performance would worsen in the first three months of 2020.
• Just a quarter expected conditions to improve next year.

Source: Federation of Small Business

 

 

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