Exports improved, thanks to a weak pound, but consumers’ appetite for goods continued to pull in imports Andrew Matthews / PAGrowth in the UK’s manufacturing sector rose at the fastest pace this year in July but the trade deficit widened and the construction sector continued to shrink. Economists said the official data suggested that the economy was unlikely to show much improvement from its sluggish first six months of the year, the slowest start to the year since 2012. Surveys also suggest that the UK’s dominant services sector is losing momentum. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that manufacturing rose 0.5 per cent in July, its first monthly growth this year, buoyed by increasing car production as new models rolled off the production lines. Chris Williamson, chief business economist at IHS Markit, said that the rebound in manufacturing output had added to “hopes that…

Source: The Times September 08, 2017 11:03 UTC