UK businesses in line for modest growth as activity picks up [Video]

Private sector firms in the UK expect modest growth in the three months leading to November, according to the latest data from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), writes Katharine Swindells.

The CBI’s Growth Indicator, which aggregates its surveys from multiple sectors, reported a weighted balance of nine per cent for anticipated growth.

The predicted rise in activity is expected to be driven largely by the services sector, which is forecast to grow by 14 per cent.

Business and professional services are set to experience the strongest expansion, with growth predicted at 19 per cent, helping to counterbalance a small projected 4 per cent decline in consumer services activity.

Manufacturing output is expected to increase by 9 per cent, though expectations for growth have softened compared with the past couple of months.

In contrast, distribution sales are projected to decline again by 4 per cent, but at a slower rate than the steeper drops in previous …