The impact of Brexit preparations remained a prominent feature at manufacturers in March. Efforts to build safety stocks led to survey-record increases in inventories of both purchases and finished products. Trends in output and employment also strengthened as stockpiling operations at clients led to improved inflows of new work. The headline seasonally adjusted IHS Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index® (PMI®) rose to a 13-month high of 55.1 in March, up from a revised reading of 52.1 in February (originally reported as 52.0). The PMI has remained above the 50.0 benchmark for 32 months in a row. The trend in ... (full story)