UK Business Activity Grows the Most in 8 Months

2026-11-04 09:41 By Larissa Caser 1 min. read

The S&P Global UK Composite PMI edged up to 52.9 in October 2026, from 52 in September, slightly below the flash estimate of 53.1 but marking its highest level since February.

Growth was supported by stronger manufacturing activity, while the services sector also performed well, recording its fastest increase in output volumes since September 2024.

New business rose at the strongest pace in nine months, supported by a renewed expansion in export sales.

Business activity expectations also improved, reflecting reduced risk aversion and greater optimism about near-term customer demand.

This helped support a marginal rise in private-sector employment, the first in 25 months, driven by renewed hiring in services.

However, inflationary pressures intensified, with input costs rising for a third consecutive month and at their fastest pace since June.

Firms across both sectors cited higher fuel and transportation costs as key drivers.



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UK Business Activity Grows the Most in 8 Months
The S&P Global UK Composite PMI edged up to 52.9 in October 2026, from 52 in September, slightly below the flash estimate of 53.1 but marking its highest level since February. Growth was supported by stronger manufacturing activity, while the services sector also performed well, recording its fastest increase in output volumes since September 2024. New business rose at the strongest pace in nine months, supported by a renewed expansion in export sales. Business activity expectations also improved, reflecting reduced risk aversion and greater optimism about near-term customer demand. This helped support a marginal rise in private-sector employment, the first in 25 months, driven by renewed hiring in services. However, inflationary pressures intensified, with input costs rising for a third consecutive month and at their fastest pace since June. Firms across both sectors cited higher fuel and transportation costs as key drivers.
2026-11-04
UK Business Activity Growth Picks Up to 8-Month High
The UK private sector continued to expand in October, with the flash Composite PMI Output Index rising to 53.1 from 52 in September, exceeding market expectations of 51.8 and reaching an eight-month high. Growth was supported by the sharpest increase in new business since September 2024. Both manufacturing and services recorded stronger output growth, while manufacturing activity posted its strongest increase in just over two years. Improving demand also helped employment return to growth for the first time since September 2024, ending a two-year period of job cuts, although the increase in staffing remained marginal. However, inflationary pressures intensified, with input costs rising sharply and the overall pace of cost inflation reaching its highest level since June. Business confidence regarding the year ahead edged higher in October, but optimism remained below the survey’s long-term average.
2026-10-23
UK Private Sector Growth Revised Slightly Higher
The S&P Global UK Composite PMI came at 52.0 in September 2026, revised slightly higher from the preliminary estimate of 51.7 but down from 52.5 in August, marking a three-month low. The slowdown reflected softer growth in both the services sector (52.1 vs 52.5 in August) and manufacturing (51.9 vs 51.7), although the latter continued to expand for an 11th consecutive month. New business growth also slowed to a marginal pace, while backlogs of work continued to decline, extending a trend seen since May 2023. On the price front, input costs for the private sector accelerated to their highest since June, largely due to higher energy, fuel and transport costs, pushing output price inflation higher. Employment fell marginally further despite positive projections for business activity. Looking ahead, business optimism eased from August but remained above its second-quarter average.
2026-10-05