Agents' Summary of Business Conditions - June 2013

• Annual growth in retail sales values had continued at a slow pace. Consumer services turnover had also increased a little on a year earlier.
• The strengthening in housing market activity seen in recent months had continued.
• Investment intentions had remained very modest, though had strengthened a little in the services sector.
• Moderate growth in export volumes had continued, and to an expanding range of countries.
• Manufacturing output, both for export and domestic markets, had continued to grow slowly.
• Output of business services had edged higher.
• Falls in construction sector output had shown signs of slowing.
• There had been a further, if very gradual, improvement in credit conditions.
• Employment intentions among manufacturers and consumer services firms remained flat, but business services employers continued to plan to take on more staff.
• Capacity utilisation had remained broadly unchanged, and a little below normal in both manufacturing and services.
• The annual rate of growth in labour costs had continued to be subdued.
• Inflation in non-labour costs was broadly stable, with the rate of increase in imported finished goods prices somewhat stronger than for many commodities.
• The rate of increase in manufacturers’ and business services prices had remained subdued.
• The rate of consumer price inflation had flattened off. 

  Agents' summary of business conditions - June 2013

• Agents' scores (xlsx)
• Definitions of the Agents' national scores (pdf)
• Response to consultation on changes to Agents' scores