The UK manufacturing downturn continued in November, as businesses responded to the delay to Brexit and a fresh injection of uncertainty from the forthcoming general election. Output, new orders and employment all fell, while destocking activity resumed as firms depleted buffers built-up in advance of the postponed exit date. The headline seasonally adjusted IHS Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index® (PMI®) slipped to 48.9 in November, down 49.6 in October but above the earlier flash estimate of 48.3. The PMI has remained below the neutral mark of 50.0 for seven successive months. November saw a reduction in ... (full story)