-2.9 on previous index reading
The Business Pulse stood at 82.4 in December 2021, down 2.9 on last month but 11.2 higher than a year ago. The deteriorating public health situation made for an unsettled backdrop this month and all four sectoral Pulses fell further. But with the experience economy very much in the eye of the COVID storm, the Services index came in quite a bit below the Industry, Retail and Construction indices. While the virus was clearly on the business radar in December, supply disruption is still an issue and is continuing to have spill-over effects – three in four firms reported increases in non-labour input costs over the past three months, while 55% said that they are likely to hike their selling prices in the period ahead.
