Optimism among firms in the financial services sector weakened for the second consecutive quarter in the three months to June, the Financial Services Survey from the Confederation of British Industry and PricewaterhouseCoopers showed Thursday.

The survey of financial services firms found that banks, securities traders and investment management firms were less optimistic about the general business situation than three months earlier.

Overall business volume is forecast to expand in the next quarter as seen in the second quarter. Profitability expanded at the weakest pace for two years in the three months to June, survey showed.

“There’s a mood of caution amongst financial services firms with the vote on our EU membership rapidly approaching and global economic waters still choppy,” Rain Newton-Smith, CBI chief economist, said.

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