UK Flash Services PMI

August PMI data signalled another solid expansion of UK private sector output, supported by a robust upturn in new order intakes. Rising business activity and resilient demand conditions contributed to a greater uplift in staff hiring, with the rate of employment growth the fastest since June 2023. Survey respondents also noted that more upbeat assessments of the domestic economic outlook had spurred efforts to boost business capacity. At the same time, inflationary pressures moderated across the private sector in August, with input ...

Private sector activity in the UK expanded at a solid and faster rate in July, according to ‘flash’ PMI data, supported by the sharpest upturn in new business for 15 months and a strengthening of business confidence after a dip in June. Services activity growth accelerated slightly, while manufacturing output rose to the strongest degree since February 2022. The upturn encouraged firms to increase their staffing numbers at the quickest pace for 13 months, while future activity expectations came close to matching February’s two-year ...

UK private sector business activity expanded in June at its slowest rate since last November, as a slowing of service sector growth offset a stronger performance in manufacturing. Output at goods producers rose to the greatest degree since April 2022, driven by improved order book intakes and strong business confidence. At the same time, services activity grew at its softest pace for seven months, although survey evidence indicated that the slowdown was partly driven by a pause in client spending decisions during the election period. ...

UK private sector activity registered a solid expansion in May as a resurgence in manufacturing production supplemented a further, albeit slower, upturn in services output. Business activity growth was again accompanied by a rise in new order volumes and an uptick in export sales, but ongoing hiring challenges meant that the rate of job creation remained only marginal. At the same time, UK businesses reported the softest increase in average selling prices for over three years in May, partly linked to a slowdown in input cost ...

UK private sector activity expanded for the sixth consecutive month in April as a robust recovery in service sector output helped to offset a marginal decline in manufacturing production. Output growth was supported by a solid upturn in new order volumes and a modest acceleration in staff hiring, in each case driven by the service economy. April data indicated a steep increase in average cost burdens across the private sector, with the rate of inflation up sharply from March and the highest since May 2023. Stronger input price ...

March data pointed to another solid upturn in output levels across the UK private sector, with the rate of expansion only fractionally slower than February’s nine-month high. This largely reflected increasing business activity in the service economy. Manufacturing production nonetheless turned a corner in March, ending a twelve-month period of decline, amid the fastest rise in new orders since May 2022. Input prices continued to rise at a sharp pace in March, with the rate of inflation the second-fastest since August 2023. Service ...

Business activity across the UK private sector expanded for the fourth consecutive month and at the fastest pace since May 2023, supported by another strong upturn in the service economy. February data highlighted a solid improvement in customer demand, as signalled by the sharpest rise in new work for nine months. Hopes of a sustained rebound in domestic economic conditions led to the highest level of optimism regarding the year ahead business outlook since February 2022. Inflationary pressures remained elevated during the latest ...

January data revealed a stronger upturn in UK private sector output than at the end of 2023, led by a further rebound across the service economy. The rise in service sector activity was the fastest since last May, whereas manufacturing production decreased to the greatest extent for three months. The latest survey also indicated a return of modest private sector employment growth at the start of 2024, supported by improving demand conditions and higher levels of optimism towards the business outlook. Private sector firms meanwhile ...