Today sees the release of March data from the Ulster Bank Northern Ireland PMI^®. The latest report – produced for Ulster Bank by IHS Markit – indicated that the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused a steep contraction in the Northern Ireland private sector, with both output and new orders falling at the sharpest rates since the survey began in August 2002. Companies reduced staffing levels substantially, while business confidence slumped.

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