Rise in activity for 60% of firms

Almost 60% of companies have reported an increase in business activity in the past three months, with positivity among firms reaching an eight-year high.

“The recovery seems to be broadening across sectors and firms and a further improvement is expected in the final three months of the year,” said Austin Hughes, chief economist at KBC Bank Ireland, discussing its latest quarterly business sentiment index, published in conjunction with Chartered Accountants Ireland.

The index covers the three months to the end of September and shows a reading of 124.8 points. This is up from 121.8 in the second quarter and is the highest reading since the survey began in the final quarter of 2006.