HomeNewsNewsUK economy grows faster than expected; prices drop as US considers big oil reserve release – business live | Business

UK economy grows faster than expected; prices drop as US considers big oil reserve release – business live | Business

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

Britain’s economy grew at a faster clip than previously thought in the last three months of 2021 when the country was hit by the Omicron wave.

GDP in the world’s fifth-biggest economy rose by 1.3% in the fourth quarter from the previous three months, the Office for National Statistics said, stronger than a preliminary estimate of growth of 1.0%.

The ONS said the biggest contributors to the increase were from human health and social work activities, driven by increased GP visits at the start of the quarter, and a large increase in coronavirus testing and tracing activities, and the extension of the vaccination programme.

However, consumer spending growth was revised lower from 1.2% to 0.5%. Some economists said it looks as though the upward revision was driven by higher inventories, which is not a…

Read more…