UK exports continue to grow
At a time when the UK economy needs all the help it can get the CBI has today revealed an increase in UK exports with weak sterling finally filtering through into the small business arena. More and more smaller businesses are reporting an increase in demand from overseas although there are concerns about profit margins being squeezed due to higher commodity and raw material prices.
This is welcome news for the UK government and the UK economy and there is even talk of manufacturers taking on further staff over the next three months. At a time when the UK unemployment number is forecast to creep towards 3 million it is refreshing to see some companies actually looking to take on new staff in the short to medium term. However, the fact that profit margins are coming under pressure, and an expected further rise in commodity prices in the short term, could place pressure on company finances.
In many ways it seems as though the UK economy is taking one step forward and two steps back because every piece of good news seems to be attracting a negative angle. Hopefully, if commodity prices settle down later in 2010 then we should see a return to higher profit margins for some of the UK's struggling businesses.
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