Activity slumps as tariffs and uncertainty bite

ECONOMIC uncertainty and the impact of tariffs continue to weigh upon North East businesses, a new survey has revealed.

- COREENA FORD

‘The latest Growth Tracker data has been published by NatWest, which shows private sector output dropped in November, despite firms reporting that demand conditions were largely unchanged over the month.

The headline North East Growth Tracker Business Activity Index, which measures the output of the region's manufacturing and service sectors, fell from 52.3 in October to 48.7 in November, the second drop in business activity in the past three months.

However, prices charged fell for the first time in years amid softer inflationary pressures.

November saw a sustained increase in average operating expenses faced by North East private sector companies as input price inflation eased for the fourth consecutive month, the slowest since October 2024.