Private sector economy grows at fastest pace in nearly a year

The large fall in retail sales suggested that households’ concerns over tax rises in the Budget “contributed to weaker retail spending at the start of Q4,” said Ashley Webb, economist at the...

Analysts said the figures supported the case for the Bank of England to continue cutting interest rates in November, following its decision in August to reduce the benchmark rate to 5 per cent. Ashley...

Ashley Webb, economist at consultancy Capital Economics, said the expansion in August, after the economy failed to grow in three of the four previous months, “lends some support to our view that a...