Lloyds reports positive growth prospects

According to the survey, business optimism fell in December, after experiencing a strong uplift in November. However, overall confidence levels remain far higher than a year ago and are above the survey average. Just over half of businesses (52%) say they are more upbeat than they were three months ago and a fifth (19%) reported they were more upbeat than three months ago. A fifth claimed to be more pessimistic, resulting in an overall balance of 33%. By comparison two thirds (67%) were more optimistic in November, and 16% were more downbeat, representing a balance of 51%. Despi...