Today sees the release of March data from the Ulster Bank Northern Ireland PMI®. The latest report – produced for Ulster Bank by Markit – indicated that a solid rise in business activity ended a positive first quarter of the year. Further increases were also seen in new orders and employment. Meanwhile, rates of inflation remained elevated as a result of sterling weakness. Continue reading
Today sees the release of February data from the Ulster Bank Northern Ireland PMI®. The latest report – produced for Ulster Bank by Markit – signalled further solid growth of output during February, despite the rate of expansion easing further from the high seen at the end of last year. Both new orders and employment rose at sharper rates, with growth of each broadly in line with the UK average. Meanwhile, inflation of both input costs and output prices remained elevated. Continue reading
The latest Ulster Bank NI PMI is out this morning. It signalled that the rate of growth in business activity at Northern Ireland companies quickened sharply at the end of 2016 and was the strongest in almost two-and-a-half years. Continue reading
Today sees the release of November data from the Ulster Bank Northern Ireland PMI®. It signalled that the rate of expansion in activity at companies in Northern Ireland accelerated on the back of a return to growth of new business. Continue reading
Today sees the release of October data from the Ulster Bank Northern Ireland PMI®. The latest report – produced for Ulster Bank by Markit – signalled that business activity returned to growth, although the rate of expansion was modest as total new orders were largely unchanged in spite of a substantial increase in exports. Export orders were supported by the weakness of sterling, but this also had the effect of pushing up input costs which rose substantially. Continue reading
This episode of #TalkingEconomix provides an outlook for 2016. Economists Richard Ramsey and John Simpson share their views on the global outlook, the outlook for the NI housing market, the outlook for businesses and the outlook for consumers.
In the first episode of #TalkingEconomix, leading economists Richard Ramsey and John Simpson shoot the breeze on the Northern Ireland economy. They cover issues including why Northern Ireland may be heading for recession, why the economy is under-performing, and why Northern Ireland’s low tax, high spend fiscal mix is unsustainable.
Earlier this year, it looked like the Northern Ireland economy had lost momentum. But, as Richard Ramsey explains in this short video report, more encouraging signs have since been emerging, creating a somewhat mixed picture.
Today sees the release of April data from the Ulster Bank Northern Ireland PMI®. The latest report – produced for Ulster Bank by Markit – suggested a modest deterioration in business conditions at companies in Northern Ireland as output and new orders declined following growth in March. That said, firms continued to increase their staffing levels during the month. On the price front, the rate of cost inflation remained modest and output prices continued to fall.
