Business confidence in Scotland fell 18 points during March to 17%, with companies in Scotland reporting lower confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, down 24 points at 18%.
When taken alongside their optimism in the economy - down 12 points to 16% - this gives a headline confidence reading of 17%.
Despite the dip in confidence, Scottish businesses identified a range of growth opportunities for the next six months, including investing in their teams (39%), diversifying into new markets (30%) and evolving their offering, such as introducing new products or services (28%).
