Optimism among UK business leaders hits record high

Summer spending frenzy could be on cards as studies point to big economic bounceback

Optimism among business leaders is at a record high based on hopes that Britons will commence a multibillion-pound summer spending frenzy after being freed from lockdown.

On the day that non-essential shops and other businesses in England reopened for the first time since January, three separate studies suggest that the bounceback in the economy could be broader and faster than previously expected. Small, medium and larger FTSE companies all reported improved sentiment, with only exporters - affected by Brexit as well as coronavirus - suffering a downturn in fortunes.