UK economic data continues to paint a mixed picture this week, with government spending coming in higher than expected at more than £18bn for August - but so too were retail sales higher than anticipated for the same month.
That follows on from inflation holding steady at 3.8 per cent, but food prices continuing to surge and expected to surpass the 5 per cent mark before the end of this year. Yesterday, the Bank of England opted to hold interest rates at 4 per cent in response to this mixed set of numbers, with unemployment also up and wage growth still slowing slightly.
