It has also increased at the fastast rate since October 1996. Mr Pain believes the optimism derives from an easing in the value of sterling. They survived when sterling was strong. The strength of the European Union economies is also maintaining confidence in the export market, he says. According to the survey, output increased slightly.
Firms expect total orders to improve slightly over the next four months.
Both domestic and export orders are expected to rise, but investment intentions and employment prospects all remain depressingly weak. The CBI also said that plans to invest in plant and machinery in the coming year remain weak. Inadequate net returns was cited as the most important investment constraint. Employment fell more quickly than reported in October. The rate of job losses is expected to increase over the next four months.