The latest figures for the UK economy are showing some positive signs but there are still signs that a lack of funding may be stunting further growth and economicc recovery.
Retail sales
– during the three months to September 2013 were 1.5% higher than the three months to June 2013. This quarter-on-quarter increase is the largest since March 2008.
British SMEs
– are more confident than at any point in the last three years, and are the most confident of all the Eurozone countries surveyed by Sage.
Funding
However funding concerns threaten to hold back growth, 54% of respondents said that banks were not doing enough to provide finance, and nearly three quarters said that the government needed to put more pressure on lenders.
Employment
The employment rate for June to August was 71.7%, up 0.3 percentage points from March to May. The unemployment rate fell by 0.1% to 7.7%.
Source: Glenigan
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