+2.9 on previous index reading
The Business Pulse came in at 81.8 in November 2019, up 2.9 on last month but down 8.1 on a year ago. All four sectoral Pulses posted firmer readings this month, with the Retail Pulse – buoyed by broadly positive expectations for the Christmas trading period – leading the charge. While the mood music around Brexit has been more positive lately, there is still considerable uncertainty as to when and how the UK will leave the EU. This is having a knock-on effect on investment decisions, with the November survey finding that around half of the firms that expect to be impacted by Brexit are putting their plans for 2020 on hold, much like the ‘wait and see’ approach they adopted this year.
