The latest Royal Bank of Scotland PMI data has indicated a softer expansion of private sector output across Scotland in May, with the seasonally adjusted headline Business Activity Index - a measure of combined manufacturing and service sector output - falling from 58.9 in April to a three-month low of 55.9 in May.
The indices vary between 0 and 100, with a reading above 50 indicating an overall increase compared to the previous month, and below 50 an overall decrease.
Slower increases in output were seen across both manufacturing and service sectors, with the former noting the slower rate of growth overall.
