April saw the UK manufacturing sector maintain its robust start to the year. At 57.3, the seasonally adjusted Markit/CIPS Purchasing Manager’s Index® (PMI®) rose to a five-month high and registered one of its best readings over the past three years. Manufacturing production continued its upward surge during April, with the rate of expansion remaining robust and hitting an eight-month high. Growth improved across the consumer, intermediate and investment goods sectors, as companies responded to rising new order inflows, new product launches and efforts to clear backlogs of work. The rate of expansion in (full story)