THE Scottish economy is continuing to recover, according to an upbeat analysis from a senior expert.

Donald MacRae, chief economist at the Bank of Scotland, pointed out how Purchasing Manager Index data for sectors such as manufacturing, construction and services showed there had been a strong performance across industries in November.

Other trends such as rising employment, a reduced claimant count and growing consumer optimism gave further weight to Mr MacRae's analysis in his Economic Update for Scotland.

Mr MacRae further highlighted that Scottish GDP has now grown for four quarters in a row to the end of June this year.

He said: "These data suggest the recovery in the Scottish economy continued in November 2013."