Economy's 'Positive' End To The Year

Scotland's economy ended last year on a positive note according to a new report.

The Bank of Scotland's monthly PMI for December showed output increased at a solid rate - unchanged from November.

This was supported by new business increasing at a faster rate and a strong rate of job creation.

Donald McRae, the bank's chief economist, said: “December’s PMI was 52.8 indicating solid growth in the final month of last year. 

"Both manufacturing and services sectors employed more people and experienced welcome increases in the level of new orders.

"However, new export orders fell for the tenth time in 11 months confirming the challenges of exporting to the largely stagnant Eurozone economies. 

"The Scottish economy continued to recover in the second half of 2014 and looks set to expand during 2015, but with growth easing compared to the high levels of the first six months of 2014.”