UK PMI Manufacturing was unchanged at 57.3 in February, below expectation of 57.5. PMI Services surged from 54.1 to 60.8, above expectation of 55.2, an 8-month high. PMI Composite rose from 54.2 to 60.2, also an 8-month high.
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at IHS Markit, said:
“The latest PMI surveys indicate a resurgent economy in February, as business activity leapt as COVID-19 containment measures were relaxed.
“With the PMI’s gauge of output growth accelerating markedly in February and cost pressures intensifying to the second-highest on record, the odds of an increasingly aggressive policy tightening have shortened, with a third back-to-back rate rise looking increasingly inevitable in March.
“However, the indications of a growing plight for manufacturers will need to be watched, and the service sector’s new business index will need to be monitored for signs of the demand revival losing steam. Given the rising cost of living, higher energy prices and increased uncertainty caused by the escalating crisis in Ukraine, downside risks to the demand outlook have risen.”
