Business activity among West Midlands firms ground to a halt in April as rising costs hampered demand, a new report has found.
Latest data from the NatWest PMI report shows activity fell from 59.1 in March to 54.5 in April, indicating the slowest rate of growth in three months.
Where output rose, companies mentioned new contract wins, expanded capacities and the catching up of projects that had been delayed due to covid-19, however the upturn was reportedly curbed by subdued demand conditions amid acute inflationary pressures and concerns around the cost of living.
