Optimists continue to significantly outnumber pessimists but overall business confidence continues to wane. A net 40% of firms are optimistic about general prospects, down 3 points on the month prior. The latest fall is marginal stuff in the overall scheme of things, but confidence is now 31 points off its peak. Confidence fell in all sectors bar manufacturing, with rural sentiment slipping into the red for the first time in 14 months. The same picture is apparent across most – though not all – survey indicators, and we can see dichotomies in some areas.  Firms’ activity expectations fell a tad (from +46 to +45), ... (full story)