Industrial sector growth streak in uneven economy

Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed industrial production unexpectedly grew by 0.7% month-on-month in September, recording its sixth straight month of growth for the first time in 23 years.

While the trade gap also shrank by £700 million to £2.75 billion over the period, the UK construction industry endured a torrid time, falling by a deeper-than-expected 1.6% between August and September as new work sank by 1.3%.

The picture also proved bleak for the third quarter, with construction output tumbling 0.9% and recording its first back-to-back quarterly fall for five years.

Chris Williamson, IHS Markit’s chief business economist, said the data points to a “multi-speed economy”.

He said: “According to data from the Office for National Statistics, both industrial production and manufacturing output surged 0.7% in September, notching up the best performance so far this year.

“It was a different story altogether for the building sector, with construction output down 1.6% in September.

That leaves construction output down 0.9% in the third quarter following a 0.5% decline in the second quarter.

“The third quarter decline pushes the building sector into a technical recession for the first time since 2012.

“The overall picture is therefore one of the economy continuing to show relatively resilient growth, albeit with an undercurrent of heightened uncertainty surrounding Brexit posing downside risks to economic activity in coming months, especially business investment.”