LONDON (dpa-AFX) - The UK economy expanded marginally in the fourth quarter, data from the Office for National Statistics showed on Thursday.
Gross domestic product grew 0.1 percent sequentially, the same pace of increase as seen in the previous quarter. This was slightly weaker than the forecast of 0.2 percent.
On a yearly basis, GDP was up 1.0 percent compared to economists' forecast of 1.2 percent.
Growth in the latest quarter was driven by an increase of 1.2 percent in production, while the construction sector fell 2.1 percent and the services sector showed no growth.
In 2025, the economy grew 1.3 percent following a growth of 1.1 percent in 2024.
Further, data showed that in December alone, GDP edged up 0.1 percent month-on-month following the 0.2 percent rise in November. This rate matched expectations.
Another report from the ONS revealed that the visible trade deficit narrowed to GBP 22.7 billion in December from GBP 23.6 billion in the previous month.
Meanwhile, the trade in services resulted in a surplus of GBP 18.4 billion, which was slightly above November's surplus of GBP 18.02 billion.
As a result, the total trade gap came in at GBP 4.3 billion versus a GBP 5.6 billion deficit a month ago.
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