FSB Voice of Small Business Index, Quarter 1, 2021

Small business confidence rebounds to highest point since 2015 as shops re-open in England and Wales


The Small Business Index (SBI) increased by 76.6 points between Q4 2020 and Q1 2021, marking the first rise in the index since Q2 2020. The index now stands at 27.3, the first positive index reading since Q2 2018.

There was a fall in the net balance of exporters reporting growth in the value of their exports in Q1 2021 with the figure standing at -28.4%, down from -16.0% in Q4 2020. Looking ahead to the next quarter, more firms anticipate an improvement in the export landscape than was the case in the previous round of the SBI, with the net balance of firms expecting growth in export values standing at -9.8%, up from a net balance of -29.0% in the previous report.

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