LONDON, April 28 - UK manufacturers' confidence fell for a third straight quarter in April while total manufacturing orders fell at their fastest rate in four years, an industry report said on Monday. The Confederation of British Industry said its Quarterly Industrial Trends survey showed the difference between firms reporting a fall in orders and a rise in orders fell to -21 percent in April compared with -9 percent in January.
The latest drop in manufacturers confidence is likely a result of the war in Iraq given that the survey was conducted between March 20 and April 9, during the U.S.-led invasion. "The end of Iraq conflict may steady nerves. But the world's economic problems were there before the war and their are still there now. Manufacturers hoped that domestic deman would hold up until there was a pick up in global trade but that does not seem to be happening," said Digby Jones, CBI Director-General, in a statement.//