Off the wire
• Feature: New website helps separated couples in Italy to co-parent better  • Burundi's ruling party stresses cooperation over peace talks  • Latvia considers raising at least 1 bln euros through bond issues in 2016  • Urgent: UN Security Council "strongly condemns" DPRK nuke test  • Germany's benchmark DAX index fells nearly 100 points  • Portuguese gov't allocates 2 mln euros to finance projects for HIV/AIDS patients  • FLASH: UN SECURITY COUNCIL STRONGLY CONDEMNS DPRK NUKE TEST  • Burundi gov't officials absent from Tanzania peace talks  • 1st LD: Qatar recalls envoy to Iran in protest against attack on Saudi embassy  • Cyprus Central Bank urges banks to speed up restructuring of non-performing loans  
You are here: 　 Home

British services PMI registers 55.5 in December

Xinhua, January 7, 2016 Adjust font size:

British services purchasing managers' index (PMI) registered 55.5 in December of 2015, down from the four-month high of 55.9 in the previous month, said data supplier Markit on Wednesday.

According to the report, the index, a gauge measuring the industry's activity, averaged 56.7 over 2015 as a whole.

December growth was supported by a further strong increase in new business as firms reported successful marketing campaigns. The pace of growth eased slightly since November, but remained faster than the long-run survey average.

Solid overall growth in activity is predicted for 2016, but the strength of sentiment remained weaker than the long-run survey average in December, according to the Markit survey.

Chief economist at Markit, Chris Williamson, said the services sector remained the key driver of the British economic upturn in December, helping to offset the recent weakness seen in manufacturing and putting the economy on the starting block for another year of 2.0 to 2.5 percent growth in 2016.

David Noble, group chief executive officer at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, commented: "Through new lines of business, ongoing -- if slightly muted -- optimism for the future, new marketing activity and a three-year continually sturdy rise in output from the sector, stability, and modesty are the watchwords for this month." Endit