UK GDP Growth in 4Q Encourages But Still 'Feeble'
0956 GMT - The U.K.'s economic growth of 0.1% in the fourth quarter may have been pretty feeble, but since the country had earlier been expected to enter a recession, the fact that GDP figures were revised upward is something to celebrate, AJ Bell's head of financial analysis Danni Hewson says in a note. Households had their finances and savings bolstered by energy-support payments since October, along with substantially lower actual energy bills than they might have been thanks to the government's cap, she says. But this raises the question about whether the support would have been better spent on targeted help rather than available to all, Hewson says. Consumers spent less on both the real and virtual high street, but the services sector was given a boost by holiday bookings, she adds. (edward.frankl@wsj.com)
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MARKET TALK:
Vanquis Banking Gains After FY Profit Tops Hopes
(MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires
03-31-23 0827ET
