‘Sigh of relief’ for Labour as UK economy returns to growth in August, but trade deficit widens – business live

While there’s relief that the UK economy grew in August, there’s also concern this morning about the country’s trade deficit.

New data shows that the UK’s total goods and services trade deficit widened by £3bn in the June-August quarter, to £10bn.

The increase was due to higher goods imports.

The Office for National Statistics reports that the UK’s goods deficit widened by £2.6bn to £52.4bn in the three months to August. The trade in services surplus is estimated to have narrowed by £400m to £42.4bn.

Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK, fears that UK exports could suffer in future from protectionism (eg tariffs) and geopolitical tensions overseas.

Selfin says:

“The widening of the trade deficit in the three months to August points at one of the UK’s Achilles’ heels, while rising geopolitical tensions and protectionist measures could accelerate the realignment of supply chains and potentially put further pressure on UK exports in the medium term.”

August’s GDP growth was broad based, with “British brains and British brawn” both contributing to healthy growth, says Nicholas Hyett, investment manager at Wealth Club:

In the crucial Services sector, professional, scientific and technical activities continues to be the key driver of growth – with auditors, lawyers and scientific researchers all reporting a busy month.

In Production manufacturing enjoyed a rebound over the summer, particularly in transport, while infrastructure activity drove a strong result in Construction.

This is all welcome news for the Treasury ahead of the Budget which is expected to see taxes rises, potentially slowing economic activity. It does raise a conundrum for the Bank of England though. The Bank had been eyeing up further interest rate cuts, but the economy doesn’t look like it’s crying out for more monetary support and with inflation expected to accelerate again into Christmas, rate setters might be thinking it makes sense to sit on their hands a little while longer.”

The Labour government needs to build on the 0.2% growth reported in August, says Lindsay James, investment strategist at Quilter Investors:

“After two months of stagnant growth, and downward revisions for previous quarters, UK GDP has finally shown some growth, despite the lack of summer sunshine. GDP increased by 0.2% on the month, helping the economy bounce back after a difficult period. While growth remains sluggish and momentum appears to be stalling, this figure will provide a sigh of relief for the new Labour administration after a difficult start to life in government. However, given the mandate it has to deliver economic growth and wealth creation, it will need to build on this progress.

“Despite the UK experiencing better-than-expected growth this year and upward revisions in economic forecasts, the gloom surrounding the economy has been hard to shake. Much of this is due to Labour’s rhetoric as they attribute difficult tax and spending decisions to their predecessors. Additionally, bond yields have risen recently as debt continues to grow and inflationary threats persist. Until there is clarity from this month’s Budget, consumer and business confidence will likely remain muted, delaying any economic boost from these better GDP numbers.

UK retailers and manufacturers had a good August, the Office for National Statistics reports.

ONS director of economic statistics Liz McKeown says:

“All main sectors of the economy grew in August, but the broader picture is one of slowing growth in recent months, compared to the first half of the year.

“In August accountancy, retail and many manufacturers had strong months, while construction also recovered from July’s contraction. These were partially offset by falls in wholesaling and oil extraction.”

The services, production and construction sectors all expanded in August, today’s GDP report shows.

The ONS reports:

• Services output grew by 0.1% in August 2024, following an unrevised increase of 0.1% in July 2024, and grew by 0.1% in the three months to August 2024.

• Production output grew by 0.5% in August 2024, following a revised fall of 0.7% in July 2024 (this was a 0.8% fall in our last publication), but showed no growth in the three months to August 2024.

• Construction output grew by 0.4% in August 2024, following an unrevised fall of 0.4% in July 2024, and grew by 1.0% in the three months to August 2024

Newsflash: The UK economy has returned to growth.

UK GDP rose by 0.2% in August, new data released by the Office for National Statistics shows, after no growth in June and July.

That’s in line with City forecasts.

It’s a welcome boost for the government, after growth flatlined earlier in the summer amid wet weather and the cost of living squeeze.

Details to follow….

Poppy Gustafsson, the former CEO of cybersecurity firm Darktrace, has been given a role to boost UK growth in the months ahead.

She was appointed as the UK’s new investment minister last night, just days ahead of the government’s business summit in London.

Gustafsson, who will be made a peer in the House of Lords, is an “accomplished entrepreneur who brings invaluable experience to the role,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer explained.

Gustafsson, 42, was available after stepping down from Darktrace last month following its takeover by private equity firm Thoma Bravo.

The UK economy has already received a growth boost this morning – the leaders of the world’s biggest green energy companies have promised more than £24bn of new private investment across Great Britain.

The single largest investment set out ahead of next Monday’s investment meeting was by the owner of Scottish Power, Spain’s Iberdrola, which has promised to double its planned investments in the UK’s clean energy ambitions to reach £24bn over the next four years.

More here:

Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy.

August was a volatile month in the UK. It began with riots sweeping England, and interest rates being cut for the first time in over four years, and ended with the new Labour government warning that tough decisions would be needed to fix the nation’s finances.

And this morning, we’ll learn how the econony fared during August, in the final GDP report before the budget later this month.

UK GDP has flatlined in June and July, so Chancellor Rachel Reeves will be desperately hoping that we get a number with a plus sign at the front at 7am.

Encouragingly, economics are expecting a return to growth. The City of London is expecting that GDP rose by 0.2% in August.

A weak report could spur the Bank of England towards cutting interest rates, explains Tony Sycamore, market analyst at IG:

The market is looking for GDP to rise by 0.2% in August after flat readings in June and July. A softer-than-expected GDP reading would fuel expectations of a BoE 25bp rate cut at its next meeting on November 7th.

The agenda

• 7am BST: UK GDP report for August

• 7am BST: UK trade balance for August

• 1.30pm BST: US producer prices index for September

• 3pm BST: US University of Michigan’s consumer confidence survey