Growth in Britain’s service industries slowed last month, but firms became more confident, stepping up hiring and raising wages after an increase in new business.
The services purchasing managers’ index (PMI) from Markit/CIPS slipped more than economists expected, to 56.7, from 57.2 in January.
Vicky Redwood, chief UK economist at Capital Economics, described the fall as “a bit of a disappointment, but hardly a disaster”.
Rob Wood, chief UK economist at Berenberg bank, said: “Despite a small dip, the UK services PMI points to strong growth.”
In the eurozone, Markit’s composite PMI, which measures services and manufacturing activity, suggests the bloc’s economy is on course to growth by 0.3% in the first quarter, the fastest rate in seven months. Bailed-out countries Spain and Ireland continue to enjoy the fastest expansion.
via The Guardian
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.