UK GDP unexpectedly fell in August

Office for National Statistics said, monthly gross domestic product (GDP) growth was negative 0.1% in August 2019, following growth in both June and July 2019. GDP was expected to remain unchanged. The monthly growth rate for GDP is volatile and so it should be used with caution and alongside other measures, such as the three-month growth rate, when looking for an indicator of the longer-term trend of the economy. However, it is useful in highlighting one-off changes that can be masked by three-month growth rates.

UK GDP grew by 0.3% in the three months to August 2019. The main contributor to gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the three months to August 2019 was the services sector, which grew by 0.4%. This was driven by widespread strength across the services industries in June and July, following a period of largely flat growth in the previous three months. Meanwhile, the production sector fell by 0.4% in the same period, while construction output grew by 0.1%.

Commenting on today’s GDP figures, Head of GDP Rob Kent-Smith said: "Growth increased in the latest three months, despite a weak performance across manufacturing, with TV and film production helping to boost the services sector."