Commenting trends - useful phrases

• Increases :
  • a slight/constant/marked/substantial/increase in sales
  • an increase of about/roughly/approximately/in the region of ... %
  • a little over/above what we predicted
  • the recovery/upturn began in (month)
  • an overall increase in ...
  • an upward trend in the demand for ...
  • sales reached record levels / reached a peak in (month)
  • a strong surge in the sales of ...
  • by (month), the figure had risen to ...
  • we predict that sales will soar in the coming year / over the next ... months
• Decreases :
  • just under our target
  • way below our expectations
  • a slight / notable / significant decrease in ...
  • the downturn began in (month)
  • the situation began to deteriorate in (month)
  • the number has continued to fall
• Fluctuations :
  • a slow start developed into steady progress in sales
  • an initial upward trend was followed by ...
  • we note slight fluctuations through the year
  • normal seasonal variations are the cause of occasional downward trends
  • sales have been (rather) irregular
  • the level / the rate has been unstable since ...
  • you will note a certain instability in the rate of ...