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U.K. Factories See Export Orders Surge to Highest Since 2013

Expectations for output growth most in more than two decades

U.K. Factories See Export Orders Surge to Highest Since 2013
Employees assemble dehumidifiers on the production line at the Ebac Ltd. factory in Newton Aycliffe, U.K. (Photographer: Matthew Lloyd/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) -- Export orders at U.K. factories jumped to the highest level in more than three years this month, led by mechanical engineering and pharmaceutical firms, according to the Confederation of British Industry.

Manufacturers’ expectations for output over the next three months also surged, reaching the most in more than two decades, the lobby group said in a report published Tuesday, based on a survey of 423 manufacturers between Feb. 24 and March 14.

U.K. Factories See Export Orders Surge to Highest Since 2013

While factories are benefiting from a boost in oversees demand as a result of the pound’s 17 percent slide since Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, they are also facing inflationary pressures, with selling-price expectations holding near the highest since April 2011. Only motor vehicle and transport firms said they anticipate domestic price cuts in the next three months.

To contact the reporter on this story: Lucy Meakin in London at lmeakin1@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Paul Gordon at pgordon6@bloomberg.net, Brian Swint, Fergal O'Brien