UK manufacturing output rose 0.4% in September, boosted by rebound in auto production
LONDON—British manufacturers increased their production in September at the highest pace since June, suggesting the sector has recovered after a summer lull.
Manufacturing output rose 0.4% on the month, up from 0.2% in August—the fourth consecutive month of growth—according to figures released on Thursday by the Office for National Statistics. This was a 2.9% increase compared with September 2013.
The broader measure of industrial production also edged up by 0.6% month-on-month from a 0.1% dip in August. Year-on-year, the increase was 1.5%.
The increase in output was broad-based across most manufacturing subsectors, but a rebound in motor vehicle production was the main contributor to the increase in output during the month, the ONS said, as factories went back to normal after extended summer shutdowns.
The sector experienced a sharp recovery at the start of the year, but economic weakness in the 18 countries that form the single currency area—as well as geopolitical tensions with Russia—led output to fall at the end of the second quarter.
