UK Industrial Output Declines 0.4%

Further evidence to the weak pace of recovery in the UK came today in the form of the latest industrial output figures. For the month of January, output unexpectedly fell by 0.4 percent compared to the previous month, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The result set off a minor shock wave as official estimates predicted a 0.3 percent increase.

On the positive side, year-on-year manufacturing actually increased 0.2 percent. Based on this, some analysts attempted to downplay the report, suggesting January’s result was simple a “rogue” number in what has otherwise been a string of monthly increases.

“The only comforting feature with manufacturing is that all the surveys show the output trend to be positive, which gives us confidence that January’s official reading is a bit of a rogue number,” noted Investec economist Philip Shaw.

Source: BBC News

Content is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc. or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. If you would like to reproduce or redistribute any of the content found on MarketPulse, an award winning forex, commodities and global indices analysis and news site service produced by OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc., please access the RSS feed or contact us at info@marketpulse.com. Visit https://www.marketpulse.com/ to find out more about the beat of the global markets. © 2023 OANDA Business Information & Services Inc.