+7.5 on previous index reading
The Business Pulse rose for a third consecutive month in July 2020 to 63.4 (this was 7.5 higher than June’s reading but down 19.8 on a year ago). With the country now in phase three of the re-opening roadmap, firms in all four sectors reported an improvement in trading conditions this month. Some caution on the part of consumers, along with mounting speculation about a delay to the move to the fourth phase, looks to have tempered expectations for further near-term gains however. Retailers and firms in industry and services were a bit more downbeat about prospects for business activity over the next three months, with the latter also scaling back their hiring plans for the period ahead.
