The Scottish private sector saw a second successive monthly rise in business activity, with underlying data showing quicker growth across both the manufacturing and service sectors.
According to the latest Royal Bank of Scotland PMI data, the rate at which private sector output grew was the strongest in nine months, with the Scotland Business Activity Index rising from February's 51 to 52.9 in March.
This compared favourably against the UK as a whole (52.2), where the rate of expansion slowed.
