Scottish business confidence increases in May, according to newly published figures. The report says firms’ confidence in their own trading outlook climbs to 62%, rising by nine percentage points compared with the previous month. The measure reflects how companies assess their expected trading conditions rather than changes in actual performance. Overall, the available reporting indicates an improvement in sentiment among Scottish businesses during May, with the rise suggesting a more optimistic near-term outlook versus April. No additional details about sector-specific trends, regional breakdowns, methodology, or comparisons to other periods were provided in the supplied excerpts. The two sources included here report the same direction of change and the same headline figures: May confidence stands at 62%, up nine points month on month.