LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s economy partially recovered in August after a sharp drop in July but the bigger picture remained one of only sluggish growth after last year’s surge in inflation and 14 back-to-back interest rate hikes by the Bank of England.
Official data showed economic output grew by a 0.2% in August from July, matching the median forecast in a Reuters poll of economists.
But July’s drop, when rainy weather and strikes hit the economy, was estimated to have been bigger than first thought, dropping by 0.6% rather than the initial estimate of 0.5%.
The last time the economy shrank by more than that on a month-on-month basis was in June last year which reflected the impact of a one-off holiday to mark the late Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years on the throne.
Nonetheless, August’s growth reduces the possibility of a recession starting as early as the July-September period.
The ONS said the economy would need to grow by 0.2% in September to avoid a contraction in the third quarter, excluding other factors.
The data showed Britain’s huge services sector grew by a slightly stronger than expected 0.4% in August from July while manufacturing and construction shrank by 0.8% and 0.5%.
(Reporting by William Schomberg and Andy Bruce; Editing by Kate Holton)
