-7.6 on previous index reading
The Business Pulse came in at 83.2 in July 2019. This was down 7.6 on last month’s reading and marks a new low for the series. The Services and Retail Pulses saw very steep falls this month, with the Industry Pulse also losing some ground. And with Brexit-related uncertainty stepping up a gear and the weak pound impacting competitiveness, firms in all four sectors downgraded their near-term expectations for business activity in July. Three in five still have ambitions to expand in the next 1 to 3 years though and reflecting the tightening labour market, more than a third are planning on increasing basic wages over the coming 12 months (broadly in line with the two in five workers expecting a pay rise).
