EXPORTS may be in trouble but the strong pound is not harming Britain's domestic economy.

A post-Budget survey by Dunn & Bradstreet shows that confidence in exports has reached its lowest point for nearly seven years. The number of companies expecting to increase exports over the next few months has fallen from 54.5 per cent to 47.5 per cent - the lowest proportion since 1991. Philip Mellor, D&B's senior analyst, said: "Despite problems for exporters, we are seeing the economy performing reasonably well. Growth is dropping back slowly, but slowly' is the key word." The results also show that businesses are expecting the fall off in growth to be gradual and that the country is heading towards a "soft landing" after a period of sustained growth. The survey, undertaken shortly after the Budget, shows that most business leaders remain confident about increasing their sales and profits.

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