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British Economy Rebounds 05/10 07:11
LONDON (AP) -- The British economy bounced back strongly in the first three
months of the year, bringing to an end to what economists termed a "technical
recession", official figures showed Friday.
The Office for National Statistics said the economy grew by 0.6% in the
first quarter from the previous three-month period, with broad-based strength
across the crucial services sector in particular.
The increase was higher than the 0.4% predicted by economists and the
strongest since the fourth quarter of 2021 when the economy was rebounding
following the sharp contraction during the coronavirus pandemic.
It comes after two quarters of modest declines, which in the U.K. is defined
as a recession.
Despite the quarterly increase, the British economy has barely grown over
the past year. It has been hobbled by interest rates at 16-year highs of 5.25%.
There was hope Thursday that they may be on the way down soon. Bank of
England Gov. Andrew Bailey indicated that a rate cut may be on the cards in
June if inflation continues to trend downwards.
The Bank of England, like the U.S. Fed and other central banks around the
world, raised interest rates aggressively in late 2021 from near zero to
counter price rises first stoked by supply chain issues during the coronavirus
pandemic and then by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
High interest rates -- which cool the economy by making it more expensive to
borrow -- have helped ease inflation, but they've also weighed on the British
economy.
Economists laid out the hope that, with inflation cooling and interest rates
lower, the British economy may be entering a period of more sustained growth.
However, it's not expected to be particularly strong, with the Bank of England
predicting only 0.5% growth this year.
"This is a surprisingly strong recovery and a likely turning point for the
economy," said Debapratim De, director of economic research at Deloitte.
Lawmakers in the U.K.'s governing Conservative Party, which appears headed
for a big electoral defeat later this year to the Labour Party, will be hoping
that the economy is set fair, relieving the pressure on financially stretched
households, thereby helping to fuel an economic feelgood factor.
"There is no doubt it has been a difficult few years, but today's growth
figures are proof that the economy is returning to full health for the first
time since the pandemic," said Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt.
His counterpart in Labour, Rachel Reeves, said this is "no time for
Conservative ministers to be doing a victory lap and telling the British people
that they have never had it so good."
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