01 / State of play

The total activity index gained a further two points over the past month to 57. The R&M activity index edged up by the same margin, to 59 points, its highest level since January 2016.

At the sector level, the largest gain was in civils, adding 11 points over the past month to stand at 62. The residential activity index gained a further four points and reached 59, a 13-month high. The non-residential sector was the only one that lost momentum over the past month, dropping three points to the neutral boundary of 50 points.

Orders and tender enquiries continued to move comfortably above the no-growth boundary as both indices increased in momentum in the past month. Tender enquiries gained five points to reach 66, the highest level since December 2015. Orders index ticked up one only point, but stood close to its five-year average at 67. 

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