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CONFIDENCE among British businesses slipped in September, with more firms expecting activity to slow down in the coming months, according to a new report.
A survey of 200 companies by Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets also showed a decline in confidence about the wider economy.
The balance of firms expecting economic conditions to improve within the next 12 months fell from 46% in August to 42% last month.
The national dip in confidence levels was reflected across the regions of the country.
Trevor Williams, chief economist at Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets, said: "Business confidence has been on an upward spiral for some months, and there's no reason to believe that this overall trend has come to an end.
"September's dip in confidence has clearly been driven by weakening optimism amongst manufacturing firms, caused perhaps by the levelling off of the upturn in global trade volumes. But confidence across other sectors remains stable.
"Nevertheless, any change in confidence levels is not to be ignored and should serve as a sobering reminder that a strong and sustainable recovery is by no means a certainty."
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