Insider Solicited informed predictions about the regional economy in the year ahead. Here are the results...
... Graham Nicoll, Regional Centre Head at Barclays Wealth in Birmingham, said: “I spend a lot of time talking to people with my Birmingham Forward (the professional services lobbying group) hat on and there is a mixed bag of feelings. There is still a lot of nervousness and people are re-evaluating to see whether they have done enough. Professional fees have been slashed and it will be a challenge for firms to rebuild that.
“From speaking to their end users, they are still nervous. But wearing my Barclays Wealth hat, prospects are more positive. Twelve months ago there was a lot of negativity but people are coming back and thinking about investing again. But we will be looking at a bit of a flat year in 2010 with a view to improvements in 2011."
