Stronger-than-expected manufacturing figures have raised hopes of an upward revision to the UK’s economic growth in the last three months of 2009.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that manufacturing output grew by 0.9% in December, which was much stronger than had been forecast.
The wider industrial production measure, which includes mining and energy, rose by 0.5%.
The UK economy grew by 0.1% in the final quarter of 2009.
GDP figures are revised at least twice after the first estimate is released.
It had been suggested that the latest 0.1% growth figure could be revised downwards, meaning the UK economy had not, in fact, crept out of recession.
“This improvement does not mean there is any room for complacency” Says British Chambers of Commerce
BMS Design Ltd - BMW Production Line
The last quarter of 2009 saw manufacturing output rise by 0.8%, the ONS said, while industrial output was up 0.4%.
Meanwhile, research released by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) on Wednesday suggested that the UK economy grew faster in the three months to January.
GDP increased by 0.4% over the three-month period, the think tank said.
Looking forward, however, the Bank of England has suggested the outlook for the UK economy remains uncertain.
In its latest Inflation Report, the Bank’s governor, Mervyn King, said: “The UK economy has continued to bump along the bottom, but a gradual recovery in output may now be in prospect.”
