By Lars Mucklejohn UK business confidence remained at an almost nine-year high in August, a closely-watched survey has suggested, in a positive sign for the country’s economic prospects. Lloyds Bank’s Business Barometer put overall business confidence at 50 per cent this month, unchanged from July and the highest level since November 2015. The reading was well above the long-term average of 29 per cent, which it has remained above for the last 15 months. The survey suggested that positive sentiment among firms about their output expectations was broadly steady. Trading prospects ticked down tw…