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The vaccine rollout and the easing of lockdown restrictions lifted levels of optimism by six points to 36 percent – the highest since April 2017.<\/p>\n
See the latest Covid vaccine stats below and visit InYourArea for all the Covid vaccine latest<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Economic confidence also rose by six points to 38 percent, offsetting the slight dip in July, the latest Lloyds Bank Business Barometer shows.<\/p>\n Nine of the 12 UK regions and nations showed a lift in confidence – the North-west top on 64 percent.<\/p>\n But pay growth expectations reached a three-year high, with more than a third of businesses predicting rises of at least two percent over the next 12 months.<\/p>\n Companies expecting wage growth of three percent or more rose five points to 17 percent, a record level since the question was first asked in 2018.<\/p>\n Confidence in construction, manufacturing and services was “notably” strong, despite supply disruptions and inflation fears, although retail optimism rose just two points to 34 percent, below its May peak.<\/p>\n Price expectations for goods and services hit their highest level since December 2017, with 44 percent of companies expecting to charge higher prices over the next year.<\/p>\n Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking senior economist Hann-Ju Ho said the four-year high “tells a positive story about the country’s recovery”.<\/p>\n He added: “This confidence is driven by the continued success of the vaccine rollout, the removal of lockdown restrictions and adjustments to self-isolation rules.”<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/22\/590x\/secondary\/City-of-London-3233486.jpg?r=1630412367341\")
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