Despite a sharp rise in household energy bills, the UK economy once again achieved strong growth in July. Performance far exceeded expectations, and economic activity in various sectors remained steady. The UK Office for National Statistics announced on Friday that GDP grew 0.4% in July, following a 0.3% increase in June. This result far exceeded analysts' expectations of the same level. The data shows that economic growth has been better than economists' expectations for the third month in a row, suggesting that the UK may break the market's expectations of a sharp slowdown in the second half of 2026. The British pound exchange rate did not change much after the data was released. In the same month, service sector activity increased by 0.4%, industrial production increased by 0.2%, and construction output increased by 0.1%.

Despite a sharp rise in household energy bills, the UK economy once again achieved strong growth in July. Performance far exceeded expectations, and economic activity in various sectors remained steady. The UK Office for National Statistics announced on Friday that GDP grew 0.4% in July, following a 0.3% increase in June. This result far exceeded analysts' expectations of the same level. The data shows that economic growth has been better than economists' expectations for the third month in a row, suggesting that the UK may break the market's expectations of a sharp slowdown in the second half of 2026. The British pound exchange rate did not change much after the data was released. In the same month, service sector activity increased by 0.4%, industrial production increased by 0.2%, and construction output increased by 0.1%.