The jump is the latest evidence of the UK economy’s resilience in the face of still-elevated inflation and the lingering risks posed by shifting US trade policies.
A gauge of UK business confidence rose to a nine-month high, climbing back to a level not seen since soon after Prime Minister Keir Starmer first took power, as markets rebounded and trade tensions eased with the US.
The Lloyds Business Barometer sentiment gauge rose to 50 in May, the highest since August, according to a survey released Friday. The 11-point jump erased the drop seen in April, when US President Donald Trump’s tariff hikes sowed turmoil in financial markets and darkened the economic outlook.
